StopWatch

The new report from the Children’s Commissioner into child strip search exposed disturbing, if not surprising, statistics.

Black children are more likely:
🟢 to be strip searched
🟢 to have force used during a strip search
🟢 to have force used against them due to "their size or build"

Responses to the report call for a "child-centred approach" but that is not enough. Children should be able to live their lives free from police, and any attempt to normalise police contact with children only fails them.

📢 Our March 2026 newsletter is now live

In this edition, we cover:

🟢 the lack of progress on tackling violence against women and girls
🟢 fraud at the Police Federation
🟢 the failure of forces to address racism complaints against their officers
.. and much more

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📢 Our February 2026 newsletter is now live

In this issue we cover the government's slightly more nuanced statements on weapons violence among young people, rafts of announcements of more funding for policing, police hopes for AI and much more...

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🔊 Last week saw the launch of Operation Sceptre - a nationwide police initiative aiming to tackle knife crime.

Data we obtained through Freedom of Information requests shows that, during the last Operation Sceptre in May 2025, 98% of knives were recovered through amnesty bins.

These findings raise serious questions about the continued use of stop search in taking knives off the streets. Such tactics make a marginal contribution to weapon recovery rates, while disproportionately targeting young people and racialised communities.