A recent report has revealed that not only are black people more likely to be stopped and searched by police, but are also more likely to be strip-searched when in police custody.
The research, conducted by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC), which seeks to understand the treatment of vulnerable children and adults in police custody, found that 19% of people stripped searched in 6 police stations were black, despite the fact that they only made up 3% of the people in police custody.
Last year a similar report revealed that ethnic minorities accounted for more than half of those strip-searched by the Metropolitan Police between 2010 and 2013. Of the 94,448 people who were searched by the Met following arrest, 52.5 percent were from African-Caribbean, Asian and other minority groups.
The research also found that the strip-searches were conducted in an inappropriate manner with several detainees describing these searches as ‘undignified’ and ‘degrading’.
The report also revealed that police detention has been used as a means to discipline children and put away vulnerable old people.
In one incident, a 90 year old man suffering from dementia was arrested after attacking staff at his care home and damaging property.
In another incident a girl was held by police for fighting with her sister over the remote control.
A 17 year-old boy was also arrested for pushing his father and damaging his garden fence.
“I have always been clear that the use of force must be lawful, proportionate and necessary in all the circumstances, that people experiencing a mental health crisis should receive health-based care and support rather than being held in a police cell, and that children charged with an offence should be transferred to suitable local authority accommodation instead of being detained overnight,” home secretary Theresa May, who commissioned the report, stated.
