Children in Bedfordshire held in police custody hundreds of times

A children’s rights charity said prolonged periods of detention can cause children "fear, anxiety, and distress", and urged the Government to ensure the earlier release of minors put in police custody.

New Home Office figures show Bedfordshire Police recorded 598 detentions in custody of children aged 17 and under in the year to March 2024 – down from 622 the year before.

Children may be detained on multiple occasions through the year. Meanwhile, the number of overnight detentions of children increased from 133 to 136.

Chief Inspector Jenni McIntyre-Smith from Bedfordshire Police said: “Children aged 17 and under brought into police custody are in a particularly vulnerable position; not only by virtue of their age, but also often because of the circumstances which brought them into contact with the police.

The UK ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1991, agreeing the detention in police custody of a child should be used "only as a measure of last resort and for the shortest appropriate period of time".

Police forces across England and Wales recorded 62,019 detentions in custody of children aged 17 or under last year – up 13 per cent from 54,875 the previous year. It accounted for seven per cent of all 901,758 such detentions.

Nationally, 23,305 overnight detentions of children were recorded – up from 19,883 the previous year.

Violence against the person was the main reason for children to be detained, and a total of 32,288 such offences sent children into custody across England and Wales, including 382 in Bedfordshire.

Louise King, co-lead at Just for Kids Law and director at the Children’s Rights Alliance for England, said the charity is "very concerned" about the increasing number of times children are detained in custody overnight.

Chief Inspector Jenni McIntyre-Smith continued: “We would only detain a child or young person overnight in exceptional circumstances, such as if they pose a substantial risk to themselves or others, the chance that significant evidence could be lost or if there is a risk they could interfere with outstanding suspects, victims or witnesses.

“Officers would carry out sufficient enquiries and ensure all other avenues have been explored before we would make the decision to detain any child or young person and a rationale as why this decision has been made is recorded on their custody record.

“Our decision-making is subject to robust scrutiny and reviewed by independent custody visitors (ICVs) who are members of the local community who volunteer to visit police stations unannounced to check on the treatment and welfare of people held in police custody.”

Polices forces in England and Wales conducted 3,528 strip searches on children aged 17 or under last year, which was up from 3,122 the previous year.

Bedfordshire Police strip searched children 99 times last year – up from 69 the year before.

Strip searching does not necessarily imply nudity or exposure of intimate body parts, though it can do, and ranges from the removal of a shirt to the removal of all clothing.