2022/25036 - Strip Searches of Under 18's
REQUEST
How many strip searches/further searches of under 18s were performed by officers in the following financial years:
1 April 2021 - 31 March 2022
1 April 2020 - 31 March 2021
1 April 2019 - 31 March 2020
1 April 2018 - 31 March 2019
1 April 2017 - 31 March 2018
Please provide a breakdown for each year by gender
Please provide a breakdown for each year by ethnicity
For each year - how many of the under 18s were handcuffed during the process?
For each year - how many of those searches were released by police without charge?
RESPONSE
The data provided is based on the number of full strip searches that occurred following a stop and search under PACE powers. There was one full strip search of someone under the age of 18 between 1st April 2018 and 31st March 2022 which occurred in the 2018/19 financial year. An appropriate adult was present and the correct process was followed.
Information is only available from 1st April 2018 due to the way this data is recorded. Due to the low number of results, further details regarding the gender and ethnicity of the person who was strip searched cannot be provided as this along with any potential public information may lead to the identification of the persons involved. There is no record that this person was handcuffed, and there was no further action following the strip search.
Therefore, the following exemption under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 has been applied.
Section 40 third party detail:
The exemption applicable to the information you have requested for this question can be found at Section 40(2) Personal Information, of the Act and this refusal notice is issued under Section 17.
Gwent Police is withholding the information you have requested on the basis that the exemption contained in Section 40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act applies in that the information you have requested is personal data of third parties and the disclosure of the data would breach one of the principles contained in the Data Protection Act. The relevant principle is the first principle which states that:
Personal data shall be processed fairly and lawfully and in particular shall not be processed unless –
(a) at least one of the conditions in Schedule 2 is met and
(b) in the case of sensitive personal data, at least one of the conditions in Schedule 3 is met
It is only necessary to consider (a) in respect of the information requested. The relevant condition in Schedule 2 is condition 6 which states that:
"The processing is necessary for the purposes of legitimate interests pursued by the data controller or by the third party or parties to whom the data are disclosed, except where the processing is unwarranted in any particular case by reason of prejudice to the rights and freedoms or legitimate interests of the data subject".