Over the past two days, there has been significant media attention to the story of Jadan Shepherd, a 9 year old boy who was stopped and searched by the Metropolitan Police, using powers under section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994. CRAE has been widely quoted in news reports, pointing out that the age of criminal responsibility means that it is not possible for children under 10 to commit criminal offences in this country. We are also calling on the Home Office and police to produce clear guidelines on the stopping and searching of children, especially younger children below the age of criminal responsibility, taking full account of children’s rights and seeking children’s views.

UK law requires children and young people to be treated differently from adults in the exercise of criminal justice, recognising their vulnerability and stage of development as individuals.  This is reflected in international law by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which protects children’s privacy rights and requires children’s best interests to be a primary consideration in all matters affecting them.  However, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has repeatedly criticised the UK Government for failing to protect children’s privacy rights.

CRAE’s national coordinator, Dr Mike Lindsay said:

“We support the complaint that has been brought by the mother in this case, and think it timely that the police reflect on this practice to ensure that it is ‘only used in the most exceptional circumstances’; and, that where it is, the police make all reasonable attempts to contact a parent, guardian or 'appropriate adult' immediately or as soon as is practicably possible.

It cannot be in the interests of the police themselves to risk undermining the confidence of the community by entrenching fear and mistrust in very young and potentially impressionable children.”