Thank you for your communication, your enquiry will be dealt with within
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Essex Police have developed a publication strategy, our aim is to reduce
the demand within the FOI Department and to provide knowledge to the
public to include previous and combined FOI requests together with
relevant links and information.  

  

Please visit this area of our website before submitting FOI requests as
information may already be available.   

 

[1]https://www.essex.police.uk/foi-ai/af/ac...

 

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References

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1. https://www.essex.police.uk/foi-ai/af/ac...

Thank you for your request for information, which has been logged under
the above reference number.     

  

Essex Police will endeavor to respond to your application within 20
working days, as set out within the Freedom of Information Act 2000
(FOIA). If a time extension is to be applied to your request, you will be
informed; the reason for the extension will also be provided.     

  

Please note that Essex Police may refuse detailed or multiple requests
that are submitted at the same time, as per [1]Section 14 of the FOIA.
Furthermore, if the information sought is already publicly available, you
may be redirected to our publication scheme:
[2]https://www.essex.police.uk/foi-ai/af/ac... or other
official links, such as the [3]PFCC, [4]Home Office or the [5]Office for
National Statistics  

   

Should you need to contact us whilst your information request is being
processed, please email [6][Essex Police request email], quoting
the above reference, and a member of the team will assist.    

  

Kind regards,

  

FOI Team | Information Management Department | Information Rights Section
| Essex Police 

Telephone: 101 | Email: [7][Essex Police request email] 

Address: Information Management Department, Information Rights Section,
Essex Police HQ, PO Box 2, Chelmsford CM2 6DA   

  

For more information about your information rights, or how Essex Police
use your personal data please visit our Privacy Notice via the Essex
Police website
[8]https://www.essex.police.uk/hyg/fpnessex...

  

 

 

 

show quoted sections

Thank you for your Freedom of information (FOI) request logged under the
above reference.  

   

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) places two duties on public
authorities:    

   

Unless exemptions apply, the first duty (at [1]Section 1(1)(a) is to
confirm or deny whether the information specified in a request is held.   

The second duty (at [2]Section 1(1)(b) is to disclose information that has
been confirmed as being held.    

However, where exemptions are relied upon ([3]Section 17 of FOIA), there
is a requirement to provide the applicant with an explanation either:  

a) stating the fact   

b) detailing the exemption(s) in question and  

c) why the exemption applies (if not apparent).  

   

Information Request  

Please can you  supply me with  the number of child strip searches (under
18) between ethnic groups( white , black, asian , mixed race, and other ) 
that occurred between 2017, 2018,2019,2020 and 2021 in your area ,

 

FOI Duty  

First Duty – Essex Police holds some of the information relating to your
request 

Second Duty – See below 

Fact – Essex Police are subject to inspections of police custody, reports
can be view via [4]Essex Archives - HMICFRS - HMICFRS
(justiceinspectorates.gov.uk)

 

Data provided under [5]PACE Section 54 and paragraph 4.1 requiring a
detainee to be searched, [6]Pace-code-c-2019

 

Procedures are available via [7]E0101 Procedure - Detainee Reception |
Essex Police

 

The vast majority of strip searches will be to ensure the safety of the
individual and to prevent the detainee from harming themselves. (cord from
within a hoody). Replacement clothing is provided if clothing is removed
(for evidential or safety purposes).

 

A strip search is a search involving the removal of more than outer
clothing,  if a request is made to remove hat, socks and shoes it will be
recorded on our system as a strip search.

 

If a juvenile is detained, an Inspector will provide authorisation in
respect of any necessary strip search, unless a urgent strip search is
deemed necessary for safety reasons.  

 

From 2022, all under 18s (Juvenile) strip searches documentation /
authorisation will be examined by an inspector.  A record shall be made of
the juvenile’s decision and signed by the appropriate adult. Two thirds of
all strip searches are subject to an appropriate authority review.

 

Moreover, an intimate search at a police station of a juvenile or
vulnerable person may only take place in the presence of an appropriate
adult of the same sex, unless the detainee specifically requests a
particular appropriate adult of the opposite sex, who is readily
available.

 

In the case of a juvenile, the search may take place in the absence of the
appropriate adult only if the juvenile signifies in the presence of the
appropriate adult that they do not want the appropriate adult present
during the search and the appropriate adult agrees. A record is made of
the juvenile’s decision and signed by the appropriate adult.

 

The presence of more than two people, other than an appropriate adult,
shall be permitted only in the most exceptional circumstances.

 

Refusal – [8]Section 17(5) Exemption – [9]Section 12(1) 

 

Exemption – When a detainee is required to remove clothing that will
provide intimate parts this is recorded within the Athena record, however
the details of that search and the description is contained within a free
text field and therefore statistics cannot be extracted to determine
different parts of the body.

 

The statistics on those searches defined as carried out at any location
including, for example, school, cannot be extracted as the additional
detail may be contained within a free text field.

 

Duty to assist – Please use the links provided under the facts to assist
in the understanding of our procedures and the limitation noted above
regarding the extraction of data.

 

Outside of the act and in effort to assist we can provide the following
-  

 

Essex Police can report full data on Strip Searches under Section 54
Custody Search as follows:

 

Caveat: The data is correct as at 15/08/2022.

 

The following data has been provided in respect of another FOI request for
the period wider than your requested timeframe, which you may find of
interest. 

 

Data provided for Strip Searches under Section 54 Custody Search is for
the period 2015 – 2022:

 

Total Number of Strip Searches
Years Strip Search
2015 2
2016 2763
2017 7210
2018 7441
2019 8149
2020 9379
2021 7975
2022 1963
Grand Total 44882

 

The following table provides a split by age group:

 

Year 10-13 14-17 18+ Grand Total
2015 2 2
2016 62 2701 2763
2017 13 201 6996 7210
2018 22 261 7158 7441
2019 6 268 7875 8149
2020 18 270 9091 9379
2021 10 305 7660 7975
2022 49 1914 1963
Grand Total 69 1416 43397 44882

 

The following table provides a split by Gender:

Year Female Male Unspecified Grand Total
2015   2   2
2016 427 2336   2763
2017 1017 6193   7210
2018 958 6482 1 7441
2019 980 7168 1 8149
2020 1206 8172 1 9379
2021 1073 6902   7975
2022 222 1741   1963
Grand Total 5883 38996 3 44882

 

The following table provides that split by both Age Group & Gender:

 

Age 10-13 Age 14-17 Age 18+
Years Female Male Female Male Female Male Unspecified Grand Total
2015                2   2
2016     4 58 423 2278   2763
2017 13 49 152 968 6028 7210
2018 2 20 23 238 933 6224 1 7441
2019 2 4 26 242 952 6922 1 8149
2020 18 23 247 1183 7907 1 9379
2021 10 18 287 1055 6605 7975
2022     4 45 218 1696   1963
Grand Total 4 65 147 1269 5732 37662 3 44882

 

The next table provides the split by Ethnicity Self-declared:

Ethnicity 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2022 Grand Total
African   35 178 260 265 280 76 1336
Any Other Asian Background   11 52 42 94 87 27 388
Any Other Black Background   39 127 222 237 307 60 1322
Any Other Ethnic Group   7 43 54 79 65 26 308
Any Other Mixed Background   13 83 101 107 125 38 629
Any Other White Background   34 226 319 359 445 128 1929
Arab           3 7 34
Bangladeshi   1 28 31 63 75 12 275
Caribbean   15 112 212 165 193 29 878
Chinese     7 5 6 6 2 26
Gypsy or Irish Traveller           2 1 31
Indian   6 22 20 34 21 6 138
Not stated   6 252 376 387 571 216 2617
Pakistani   2 34 28 43 47 12 194
White And Asian   1 21 40 24 26 7 136
White And Black African   3 35 46 73 42 8 263
White And Black Caribbean   30 131 159 215 174 17 828
White British   465 3375 4674 5034 5479 1208 24948
White Irish   2 46 70 70 76 19 356
Not Recorded 2 2093 2438 782 894 1355 64 8246
Grand Total 2 2763 7210 7441 8149 9379 1963 44882

 

The following table provides the total over the time frame of where an
appropriate adult was recorded against the age group cohort of Under 18s:

 

Appropriate Adult Required 10-13 14-17 18+ Grand Total
No 4 38679 38683
Yes 69 1412 4697 6178
(blank) 21 21
Grand Total 69 1416 43397 44882

 

Every effort is made to ensure that the data provided by Essex Police is
accurate and complete.  However, Essex Police systems are designed
primarily for the management of individual cases and not for the purposes
of providing data to answer specific FOI enquiries.  Please note although
data can be extracted from a number of sources via database queries, the
results may be subject to inaccuracies.  Care should be taken to
understand our return when considering the interpretation or further use
of the data.

 

Please note the above request will be included within our [10]Publication
Scheme.  

   

Essex Police trusts that the links and information provided is of
assistance.  Thank you for your interest in Essex Police.   

 

FOI Team | Information Management Department | Information Rights Section
| Essex Police 

Telephone: 101 | Email: [11][Essex Police request email] 

Address: Information Management Department, Information Rights Section,
Essex Police HQ, PO Box 2, Chelmsford CM2 6DA   

  

For more information about your information rights, or how Essex Police
use your personal data please visit our Privacy Notice via the Essex
Police website
[12]https://www.essex.police.uk/hyg/fpnessex...

  

Essex Police have developed a publication strategy, our aim is to reduce
the demand within the FOI Department and to provide knowledge to the
public to include previous and combined FOI requests together with
relevant links and information. Please visit this area of our website
before submitting FOI requests as information may already be available.
[13]https://www.essex.police.uk/foi-ai/af/ac...

 

Please note, if you require further information or wish to resubmit a
request, please refer to the information found on the Commissioner’s
website regarding submission of effective requests: [14]How to access
information from a public body | ICO 

  

Your right to complain 

 

If you feel your request has not been properly handled, or you are
otherwise dissatisfied with the outcome of your request you have the right
to complain.  

 

Under [15]Section 17(7)(a)(b) FOIA complaints should be submitted within
20 working days from the date of this response and should be addressed to
the Information Rights Manager at the above address or by email to:
[16][Essex Police request email] 

  

We will conduct a review to investigate your complaint and endeavour to
reply within 20 working days. Please explain which aspect of the
disclosure you are not satisfied with, and if your complaint concerns the
decision to apply an exemption, please specify if you wish an internal
review to take place and why you believe the exemption does not apply.  

  

If you are still dissatisfied following our review, you have the right
under the [17]Section 50 FOIA  to complain directly to the Information
Commissioner. Before considering your complaint, the Information
Commissioner would normally expect you to have exhausted the complaints
procedures provided by Essex Police. 

  

The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: Information
Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9
5AF or via [18]Home | ICO

 

 

 

From: Info Rights Freedom Essex
Sent: 19 August 2022 10:17
To: Solomon Elliott <[FOI #888402 email]>
Subject: FOI 17432 - U18 Strip Searches of Different Ethnic Backgrounds
2017 - 2021

 

Thank you for your request for information, which has been logged under
the above reference number.     

  

Essex Police will endeavor to respond to your application within 20
working days, as set out within the Freedom of Information Act 2000
(FOIA). If a time extension is to be applied to your request, you will be
informed; the reason for the extension will also be provided.     

  

Please note that Essex Police may refuse detailed or multiple requests
that are submitted at the same time, as per [19]Section 14 of the FOIA.
Furthermore, if the information sought is already publicly available, you
may be redirected to our publication scheme:
[20]https://www.essex.police.uk/foi-ai/af/ac... or other
official links, such as the [21]PFCC, [22]Home Office or the [23]Office
for National Statistics  

   

Should you need to contact us whilst your information request is being
processed, please email [24][Essex Police request email], quoting
the above reference, and a member of the team will assist.    

  

Kind regards,

  

FOI Team | Information Management Department | Information Rights Section
| Essex Police 

Telephone: 101 | Email: [25][Essex Police request email] 

Address: Information Management Department, Information Rights Section,
Essex Police HQ, PO Box 2, Chelmsford CM2 6DA   

  

For more information about your information rights, or how Essex Police
use your personal data please visit our Privacy Notice via the Essex
Police website
[26]https://www.essex.police.uk/hyg/fpnessex...

  

 

 

 

show quoted sections