Children should only be detained in custody for serious crimes and strip-searched in truly exceptional circumstances, two parliamentary reports have warned.

Harrowing testimonies from children in England and Wales describe being strip-searched, with some accusing police of racism and making harmful, disrespectful comments. These accounts feature in reports by the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on children in police custody.

The reports were published days after two Metropolitan Police officers were sacked over the strip-search of a schoolgirl known as Child Q. Currently, children as young as 10 in England and Wales face the same detention processes and protections as adults.

Dr Miranda Bevan, a law lecturer at King’s College London who led the APPG inquiry, highlighted that detained children are often highly vulnerable – more likely to have special educational or communication needs, be victims of exploitation, or be known to mental health services. “These children – some as young as 10 – are left alone in police cells with minimal adult support for up to 24 hours,” she said.

The APPG puts forward 10 recommendations, including a ban on strip-searching children unless under truly exceptional circumstances and making it a requirement that legal advice be provided for all children detained in police custody