DEMANDS ON STRIPSEARCH

Children’s commissioner calls for urgent briefing

THE Children’s Commissioner has requested an urgent briefing on the stripsearching of minors in Tasmania as national human rights groups slam the fake arrest and detention of an 11-year-old boy by an off-duty police officer last month.

THE Children’s Commissioner has requested an urgent briefing on the stripsearching of minors in Tasmania as national human rights groups slam the fake arrest and detention of an 11-year-old boy by an off-duty police officer last month.

Children’s Commissioner Leanne McLean yesterday would not comment on the case of the boy stripsearched and detained in the Hobart Remand Centre in an apparent attempt to curb poor behaviour, as revealed exclusively on themercury.com.au on Friday.

But Ms McLean said she was concerned about the use of stripsearches on children and young people.

“I have requested an urgent briefing through the offices of the Attorney-General, Minister for Corrections and Minis- ter for Police on current policies, so I can determine the extent to which they are consistent with well-established child rights principles,” Ms McLean said.

Tasmania Police last week said the detention of the child was subject to an internal professional standards investigation which was yesterday confirmed as ongoing.

Human Rights Law Centre legal advocacy director Ruth Barson called for the stripsearching of minors to be scrapped — and for the state to raise the criminal age of responsibility to 14.

“This boy must have been petrified,” Ms Barson said. “The routine stripsearching of children is archaic and deeply traumatising. No child should be forced to remove every item of clothing in front of two adults.

“Tasmania’s laws should be changed to prohibit exposing children to such a degrading and harmful practice.”

Amnesty International Australia said it was “very disturbed” by the allegations and echoed calls for the criminal age of responsibility to be raised.

Amnesty Indigenous adviser Rodney Dillon said the January incident would have changed the way the boy saw police and the justice system.

“Stripsearching is a humiliating, frightening and degrad- ing practice for anyone, and especially for young vulnerable children,” Mr Dillon said.

A Justice Department spokesman said yesterday there was an ongoing review into its stripsearch procedures “and balancing the security and self-harm risks with the dignity and wellbeing of minors”.

The review started before the January event but had been “further informed by this incident”, the spokesman said.