Young Advocates give evidence to APPG on Children in Police Custody
On 25th April 2023, a selection of the Young Advocates attended the first evidence session of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Children in Police Custody’s Inquiry into Achieving the Rights of Children in Police Custody.
The cross-party parliamentary group, chaired by Janet Daby MP, consists of Members of the House of Commons and Lords working together to “raise awareness of the experiences of children in police custody, and develop recommendations for ensuring that children’s rights are respected and upheld in police custody.” This evidence session was focused on hearing from children and young people; the Young Advocates shared a range of their experiences, views and ideas for change surrounding strip search and police custody.
They began by discussing strip search, highlighting that in their experience it was common for officers to turn off cameras and make degrading comments when strip searching.
“They have the power to turn the cameras off and it’s almost like you are at their will.”
They talked about the discomfort and trauma that they experienced as a result of strip searches being conducted by officers of the opposite sex (despite the searching officer being the same sex as the child being searched being a requirement under PACE code C).
The Young Advocates also highlighted the lack of mental health support when in police custody, and having to consistently push for mental and physical health conditions impacting their experiences when in police custody to be acknowledged and acted upon. They shared details of the length of time forcibly spent in cells without a clock or any entertainment, saying it is boring and degrading.
“You’ll never know the time, you’re just sat there. There’s nothing ever to do. I’ve never had anything to do.”
“One reason why it can be quite long, or they make you wait a couple hours, is to kind of break you down so you…maybe the cell might make you feel quite helpless.”
They shared that knowing their own rights could help them to feel more secure when being strip searched, and that it was important to understand their right to an appropriate adult (someone over the age of 18 who aims to make sure that a child’s rights and welfare are safeguarded when in police custody) who could act “as a bridge between the detainee and the police”. However, the children and young people giving evidence agreed that is was common for an appropriate adult not to be offered in police custody, or when being strip searched.
“I did not have an appropriate adult or solicitor present [in police custody] to support me through this. When this happens, it makes me personally feel like I am trapped, lonely and generally don’t want to speak to them, which doesn’t help either in that situation.”
“So after I got [a youth worker] at 16 years old, that was when I really started trying to understand what I was and wasn’t allowed because I had that guidance there. And to me, it made me feel a lot safer. And I felt like I definitely had the safety net of appropriate adults, and the benefits of that.”
Some key ideas for reform that the Young Advocates shared included:
Police shouldn’t strip search children, or only when there’s really clear grounds and with better regulation.
Children should be taught in schools how to make a complaint against the police, and for the police to be held clearly responsible if a complaint is made against them.
Children should be told in clear terms their rights when in police custody, and how to exercise these rights.
The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE – policing codes of practice) should be followed, and strip searches should always take place by an officer of the same gender.
Medical officials should be present for the strip search of a child.
You can read the full minutes from the session here, and you can find more information about the Inquiry into Achieving the Rights of Children in Police Custody here.