The Metropolitan Police carried out 18 More Thorough Intimate Parts strip searches on under-18s this year so far, with two-thirds of them concentrated in north and east London, according to its own data.
A More Thorough Intimate Parts search (MTIP) is defined as a search where more than just a jacket, outer coat, or gloves are removed, exposing intimate parts of the body, according to the College of Policing.
MTIP searches of under-18s this year appear concentrated in north-east London, with all those stopped listed as male.
*Location data was unavailable for one of the 18 searches carried out on under-18s in 2025
Of the 18 strip-searches, 61% resulted in a positive outcome, and in each case, drugs were found, even if that was not the original reason they were stopped.
Half of those searched were recorded as ‘black’, 27.8% listed as ‘white’, 11.1% as ‘Asian’, and 11.1% as ‘other’.
Based on available data, the number of MTIP searches from January to April has decreased compared to the same period in previous years.
In June, two Metropolitan Police officers were dismissed and one given a final warning, for gross misconduct over the strip-search of a black schoolgirl, known as Child Q back, in December 2020.
School staff suspected Child Q smelt of cannabis after arriving for a mock exam at her school in Hackney, and was taken to the medical room and strip-searched by police, while teachers remained outside.
No cannabis was found.
In England and Wales, children aged ten to 17 are subject to the same procedures and have essentially the same legal protections as adults when held in police custody.
Two recent parliamentary reports advisedchildren should only be detained by police for serious crimes and strip-searched only in exceptional cases.
The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) recommended limiting child detention to 12 hours, banning strip-searches except in extreme circumstances, and ensuring all detained children receive legal advice, among ten other recommendations.
An appropriate adult must be present when a child, young person or vulnerable adult is searched, unless there is an urgent risk of harm to themselves or others, as set out in the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984.
An under-18 can refuse an appropriate adult during the search, but must do so in the appropriate adult’s presence and with their agreement.
Image credit: Parisa Shirvani
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