Revealed: Met police strip-searched 650 children in two-year period

Appropriate adults were often absent during the search, and the majority of children were innocent

The children's commissioner for England has denounced the Metropolitan police's record on child protection after new data revealed that 650 children were strip-searched over a two-year period and the majority were found to be innocent of the suspicions against them.

Dame Rachel de Souza said she was not convinced that the force was consistently considering children's welfare and wellbeing" after police data showed that in almost a quarter of cases (23%) an appropriate adult was not present during the search, despite this being a requirement under statutory guidance.