General · 22 April 2026
Black kids in England face eight times more strip-searches
Black children in England and Wales face disproportionate police strip-searches and use of force. A report by Children's Commissioner Rachel de Souza found they're almost eight times more likely to be strip-searched than white children, using data from July 2023 to June 2024. Officers often cited a Black child's "size or build" for using force, while nearly half of all searches had no further action.
Reported by The Guardian · How we write briefs