The Children and Young People’s Centre for Justice (CYCJ) welcomes the report published today by the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland which calls for the immediate end to the use of Tasers and PAVA spray on children, by Police Scotland, and for a strengthening of data gathering in the use of force on children in police custody.
The Commissioner’s investigation examined how often police force was used against children, including the use of Tasers, incapacitating spray, spit hoods, bite guards, strip searches, and “empty hand” techniques which include punches and kicks. CYCJ firmly believes that such techniques are not appropriate measures for using with children in a child-centred system, underpinned by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).
The report concludes by giving 21 recommendations to changes in police practice, which crucially include improvements to data gathering. The report found crucial data gaps in recording when force was used, indicating that there was a lack of appropriate scrutiny being applied, and whether certain groups of children are being disproportionately impacted by these practices. Improvements to data collection will ensure that our systems for working with children in conflict with the law are truly rights-respecting.
CYCJ have recently responded to a Scottish Government consultation on the revised code of practice on the use of stop and search, and our response was clear that there needs to be a greater threshold on the use of strip searches on children, focusing on the rights of children and young people, a specific awareness of the need to actively tackle discrimination and bias, and that an appropriate adult should be present during such searches, if required at all.
Professor Fiona Dyer said, “CYCJ welcomes this report and its recommendations. We are working continuously with all stakeholders to ensure that Scotland’s response to children and young people in conflict with the law is rights-respecting. Children have told us that police custody is the most traumatic aspect of their justice experience. Recent developments in policy that, once commenced, will enable police to take children to an alternative place of safety rather than a police station is one step in the right direction. We firmly believe that all responses to children in conflict with law need to become more child-centred and trauma informed.”
Read the report at the Commissioner’s website here.