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A strip search is a practice of searching a person for weapons or other contraband suspected of being hidden on their body or inside their clothing, and not found by performing a frisk search, but by requiring the person to remove some or all clothing.
A strip search is when the police search you and remove more than your outer clothing. Outer clothing is things like your coat, hat, gloves, shoes and socks. If the police ask you to remove anything more than this, like your T-shirt, it would be classed as a strip search.
What is a strip search? To understand police search powers, it helps to know about the different types of police searches that can take place in England and Wales. What clothing items can be removed in a normal stop and search?
The definition of a strip search according to PACE Code C, Annex A, paragraph 9 is 'A strip search is a search involving the removal of more than outer clothing. In this Code, outer clothing includes shoes and socks'.
- What Is Strip Searching?
- Principles For Conducting Strip Searches
- Data on Strip Searches
Strip searching does not necessarily denote nudity or exposure of intimate body parts, though it can involve this. Strip searches can range from the removal of a T-shirt to the removal of all clothing. The police can conduct these searches under their stop and search powers. However, unlike with a standard search, officers must take the individual ...
Statutory guidance on the procedures and principles that police must follow to conduct strip searches legally are in PACE Code A and Annex A of PACE Code C. The College of Policing (the body responsible for professional standards in policing) also maintains Authorised Professional Practice on stop and search,
There is no centrally held data on strip searches so there is limited evidence on how many the police conduct, the characteristics of those searched and reasons for searching them, and the outcome of strip searches (such as whether anything was found). The Government confirmedin 2022 that police forces have been asked to provide data on strip searc...
Dec 5, 2023 · Strip searches by the police are among the most invasive actions they can take in their law enforcement duties. These searches involve the removal of an individual’s clothing and require a stringent legal framework to protect individual rights and privacy.
Aug 18, 2024 · A child was strip-searched every 14 hours under police stop and search powers. One in 20 strip-searches were not compliant with statutory codes of practice. Between July 2022...
