Every child has the right to be treated with dignity, respect and care, even when they come into contact with the justice system. A new investigation from the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland raises serious concerns about how police use of force against children is recorded and monitored in Scotland, highlighting significant gaps in the information needed to protect children’s rights and wellbeing.
The report reveals that children are experiencing a range of police restraint and use of force measures, including Tasers, incapacitating spray, spit hoods, bite guards, strip searches, and physical restraint techniques. Yet vital information about those children is often missing from official records, making it difficult to understand the full impact these interventions are having and whether some children are being disproportionately affected.
Every Statistic Represents a Child
Behind every figure in the report is a child who may have experienced a frightening, distressing or potentially traumatic situation.
The investigation found that during 2023-24:
- Tasers were used against children 43 times.
- Children were strip searched in police custody on 262 occasions.
- Spit hoods and bite guards were used 148 times.
- Physical restraint, takedowns and strikes were used against children 1,313 times.
Particularly concerning is the finding that Tasers were used against children where mental health needs, care experience, learning disabilities or autism were identified as factors. This raises important questions about whether vulnerable children are receiving the support and protections they need when interacting with public services.
The Importance of Recording the Full Picture
One of the most troubling findings from the investigation is not only the number of incidents, but the lack of information recorded about the children involved.
In many cases, records did not include a child’s age, disability status, ethnicity or sex. The Commissioner found that Police Scotland’s systems were not always able to provide complete or consistent data, limiting opportunities for effective scrutiny and accountability.
Without accurate information, it is impossible to know whether particular groups of children are experiencing the use of force more frequently than others. It also becomes more difficult to identify patterns, improve training, review policies or learn lessons that could help prevent harm in the future.
For children and young people with long-term health conditions, disabilities, neurodivergence or mental health challenges, these gaps are especially concerning. Children with additional support needs may be at greater risk of misunderstanding, distress or escalation during encounters with authorities if their needs are not recognised and responded to appropriately.
A Children’s Rights Issue
The Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland has been clear that children must be treated first and foremost as children, regardless of the circumstances that bring them into contact with the police.
This aligns closely with the principles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), which is now incorporated into Scots law. The UNCRC recognises children’s rights to protection, dignity, participation, health and development, and requires public authorities to place children’s rights at the centre of decision-making.
A rights-based approach means that any use of force against a child should only occur when absolutely necessary, be proportionate to the situation, and be subject to thorough monitoring and review.
Listening to Children and Young People
At Children’s Health Scotland, we know that children and young people consistently tell us how important it is for adults and services to listen to them, understand their individual circumstances and recognise their rights.
Through our Health Rights Defenders, children and young people with long-term health conditions have repeatedly highlighted the impact that systems can have when professionals fail to see the child behind the process. Their experiences have shown that when services do not collect meaningful information or listen to children’s voices, important needs can be overlooked and inequalities can persist.
Good data alone will not protect children’s rights, but without good data it becomes much harder to identify where children may be at risk, challenge unfair treatment, and drive meaningful improvements.
Why This Matters for Children’s Health
Experiences involving restraint, force or invasive procedures can have lasting impacts on a child’s emotional wellbeing, mental health and trust in public services.
Some of the children represented in these statistics may already be coping with trauma, adverse childhood experiences, disability, neurodivergence, mental ill health or long-term health conditions. Understanding who is affected and why is an essential first step in ensuring that responses are safe, trauma-informed and rights-respecting.
Children should never become invisible within data systems. Accurate recording is not simply an administrative exercise. It is a fundamental part of safeguarding children’s rights, identifying patterns of concern and ensuring accountability when things go wrong.
Looking Forward
The Commissioner has made 21 recommendations aimed at improving transparency, accountability and children’s rights protections. These include improving the accuracy of reporting, recording key information about children across all uses of force, ending the use of Tasers and PAVA spray in custody settings, and ensuring police guidance and training are reviewed against children’s human rights standards.
These recommendations provide an opportunity to strengthen protections for children across Scotland and ensure that public services can better understand, monitor and reduce the use of force against children.
Every child deserves to have their rights respected, protected and fulfilled. To achieve that, we must ensure that when force is used against a child, it is properly recorded, carefully scrutinised and never allowed to disappear into the gaps in the data.
If you are a child or young person with a health condition, disability or additional support need, you can learn more about your healthcare rights through our My Health, My Rights resources and the work of our Health Rights Defenders, who are helping to ensure that children’s voices are heard across Scotland.
