Tony Blair’s AI mania sweeps Britain’s new government

The former PM sees artificial intelligence as a silver bullet for ailing public services, government inefficiency and a stagnant economy. Is he right?

A tight knot of Blairite ministers are carrying forward his vision for the power of AI to transform government and public services. | Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

August 19, 2024 
By Laurie Clarke
POLITICO EU

LONDON — On stage at the Tony Blair Institute’s annual conference, five days after the July general election, the eponymous founder regaled the audience with evangelical zeal.

The freshly removed Tory government had bequeathed Labour a “ghastly inheritance,” the former prime minister said.

“There is only one game changer in our view, [and] that is harnessing … the 21st century technological revolution,” he said. Britain must grasp “the full opportunity of governing in the age of artificial intelligence.”

“In this new world, companies and nations will either rise or fall.”

Such claims will be familiar to anyone who’s paid attention to Blair’s interventions in past years. His think tank's central animating force is the revolutionary potential of technology. AI is touted as a silver bullet for ailing public services, government inefficiency and a stagnant economy.

With a Labour government in power in the U.K. for the first time in 14 years, Blair’s influence is growing. A tight knot of Blairite ministers is carrying forward his vision for the power of AI to transform government and public services.

The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI) event featured high-profile appearances from Health Secretary Wes Streeting and Cabinet Office fixer Pat McFadden, invigorated from the recent election that saw Labour win a landslide victory.

Meanwhile, Technology Secretary Peter Kyle has made driving digital transformation across Whitehall a top priority in his new role.

“We’re putting AI at the heart of the government’s agenda to boost growth and improve our public services,” Kyle said recently.

The messaging was echoed by Chancellor Rachel Reeves, who said AI would have a crucial role to play in helping the government find £3 billion in savings after an unexpected “black hole” was discovered in the public finances.

The plans have tech firms — some of whom have partnerships with Blair’s institute — swarming, lured by the tantalizing prospect of millions of pounds of public contracts.

But while most agree that AI holds promise for the public sector, some warn against “snake oil” salesmen and caution about embedding the sometimes unreliable and opaque tech into the heart of government.
The pitch

The TBI has claimed that integrating AI into the heart of government could save up to £40 billion annually and shed one million civil servants.

In a flurry of reports released to coincide with the TBI conference, the institute also claimed that more than 40 percent of the tasks performed by public sector workers could be partly automated by AI-based software.

Some of the tasks envisaged as ripe for AI assistance include helping to match supply of public services to demand, accelerating the processing of planning applications and benefits claims, supporting research and drafting notes — the kind of unglamorous back office work that can consume hours of labor.

The TBI’s headline figures have been disputed; academics quickly called attention to the fact that they’d been informed by consulting ChatGPT, the popular AI chatbot, itself.

“If you look across … the public sector, and the number of backlogs, waiting lists … we’re at a kind of pressure point across public services,” said Jeegar Kakkad, who previously worked as director of government innovation at the TBI and advised the Labour leadership during its time in opposition. He’s since taken on a new role at the TBI.

The TBI’s headline figures have been disputed; academics quickly called attention to the fact that they’d been informed by consulting ChatGPT, the popular AI chatbot, itself. | Pau Barrena/AFP via Getty Images

“Our view at the institute is to really think about, okay, where are the off-the-shelf technologies that could be deployed to help with those pressure points,” he told POLITICO in an interview conducted while still in his previous role.

This includes demand forecasting tools used to predict bed capacity in hospitals, said Kakkad, and AI that could help triage the millions of pieces of correspondence some departments receive every year, or the enormous backlog of cases in England’s crumbling court system.
The tech connection

But TBI’s coziness with the tech sector has aroused suspicion over the motivations behind its bullish claims.

Tech billionaire Larry Ellison has pledged a total of $375 million over the years for Blair's think tank. Ellison's cloud computing company Oracle is in one of the sectors benefiting from an AI boom and has a commercial interest in digitizing health records, another of the TBI’s key recommendations to governments.

One of the TBI’s major reports on AI for government was produced in partnership with Faculty, an applied AI company that has established itself as a go-to government supplier despite attracting scrutiny over its political connections.

Faculty’s founders are friends of Dominic Cummings, an adviser to former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, but the firm has wasted no time getting acquainted with the new Labour administration. Before Labour won the election, a Faculty staffer was seconded to the office of then Shadow Tech Secretary Kyle.

Business is intrigued by the new administration’s plans. U.S. industry lobby group Chambers of Progress, which includes the likes of Amazon, Apple and Meta, sent a memo to members shortly after the election highlighting Labour’s interest in government digital innovation as an enticing opportunity.

Microsoft has also been promoting its own AI product suite to central and local government. The company recently published a report championing its tech, including its Copilot tool, which integrates OpenAI’s ChatGPT, as useful for central and local government to summarize emails, generate text and create documents.

The tool has already been adopted by more than 100 local councils. Trials of the tool are underway in a handful of central government departments, too.

It’s important civil servants “know what ‘good’ looks like,” said Robyn Scott, founder of Apolitical, a learning platform for public officials. “Because there are a lot of great companies out there … and there are a lot of snake oil salesmen.”
Greasing the wheels of government

Right now, AI isn’t widely used across government.

The National Audit Office found last fall that 37 percent of government bodies that responded to a survey said they’d deployed AI, typically in only one or two use cases each.

The most controversial uses have drawn the most attention to date: for example, in predictive policing, the analysis of live facial recognition data and the use of algorithms to identify fraudulent benefit claims. Scant information about these use cases has been made available to the public.

But the generative AI boom of the past 18 months has drawn renewed attention to how the tech could be wielded to speed up monotonous tasks and grease the creaking wheels of Whitehall.

The previous Tory government had begun to expedite the roll-out of the tech. Former Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden launched an AI “hit squad” in November aimed at cutting jobs in the civil service.

The so-called Incubator for AI set up pilot projects using generative AI to analyze responses to government consultations, power a chatbot that would interact with citizens and collate documents for ministers, replacing the traditional “red box.”

Recent reports from the U.K. government’s Central Digital and Data Office and the Ada Lovelace Institute agree with the TBI that AI holds promise, but the range of predicted productivity gains varies wildly

.

Technology Secretary Peter Kyle has made driving digital transformation across Whitehall a top priority in his new role. | Leon Neal/Getty Images

An analysis of the costs of overhauling legacy digital infrastructure and implementing the new tech across government rarely features in the most optimistic forecasts. “Technology is not free,” pointed out tech consultant Rachel Coldicutt in response to Reeves’ plan to use AI to save costs.

“If something costs £500 million this year, how long will it be expected to take to recoup those costs, and could that money be better spent elsewhere?”

“We’re really at a preliminary stage of experimentation,” said Imogen Parker of Ada Lovelace. “We need to learn much more quickly about what works and what doesn't.”

This means looking at “the messy reality” of how this tech interacts with government processes, rather than “hypothetical, perfect, idealized use cases,” she adds.

A report from think tank IPPR found that about 10 percent of tasks could be automated across jobs in the private and public sector. “There are very few jobs that you could just … plug in AI and you don’t need humans anymore,” said IPPR senior economist Carsten Jung.

Guidance issued to civil servants last year noted that generative AI tools “can, and do, make errors,” meaning officials would need to verify the outputs. It noted that the tools could be biased and pose data privacy risks too.

Another concern is how it might change the nature of the relationship between government and citizens. “When you insert a technology into a system or service, it has a ripple effect … It changes what people expect, and it changes how people behave,” said Parker.

She pointed to the example of MPs using AI to write emails to constituents or the government automating the analysis of consultation responses. “It will unquestionably change the way that residents feel about their interactions with that system … It might change people’s willingness to engage in consultations to start with.”

LGBTQ+ book ban attempts are increasing in UK schools, study finds

By Jordan Robledo
18th August 2024

GAY TIMES



School librarians in the UK have opened up about the increased censorship regarding LGBTQIA+ books.

Over the last couple of years, queer literature in the UK has been targeted by conservative individuals.

In April 2023, a study from the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (Cilip) revealed that a third of librarians were asked to censor or remove LGBTQIA+ content by members of the public, with some even being threatened.

“We want to get past this period of culture war and politics and really focus on the job in hand,” Nick Poole, Cilip’s chief executive explained to The Guardian.

“It continues to be true that it just takes a spark in a children’s book to inspire a young person to go on and do something brilliant. That’s what we want to focus on doing.”

Unfortunately, the situation in the UK school library system has reportedly worsened.

According to The Independent, new data from the Index on Censorship found that 53% of surveyed school librarians were asked to remove LGBTQIA+ books, while 56% of librarians were forced to follow through with such requests.

The report also revealed some of the key books that have been targeted, including Julián is a Mermaid by Jessica Love, ABC Pride by Louie Stowell, Elly Barnes and Amy Phelps, and This Book Is Gay by Juno Dawson.

Since the eye-opening data was announced, an array of LGBTQIA+ activists and organisations have pushed back against the alarming rise of censorship.


Photo: Unsplash

In a statement to The Independent, Just Like Us CEO Laura Mackay said: “This small-scale study shows some worrying cases of fears around LGBT+ books in school libraries, but removing books will never change the fact that LGBT+ people, including same-sex parents, are part of society.

“The recent rise in far-right attitudes and dears stoked around trans young people make life so much harder for LGBT+ young people, particularly those of colour… it’s vital that young people can access books that reflect the diversity of the world around them.”

Local librarian Alice Leggatt echoed similar sentiments to the aforementioned news outlet, adding that librarians “don’t really have anything” to defend them from the ongoing requests.

“Pretty much every librarian I’ve spoken with says this is more of an issue than it was five years ago, and they’re concerned about in a way they never had to think about it before,” she explained.

“But we don’t really have anything with teeth to help defend school librarians, their collections and their students when these things happen.”

The UK isn’t the only country that’s seen an increase in book censorship and bans.

In the US, multiple states have attempted to block the availability of queer and racial-themed books in public and school libraries.

According to a report from The American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, over 4,000 books have been targeted, in addition to “1,247 demands to censor library books, materials and resources in 2023.”

UK

Labour paves the way for huge payouts to workers contacted out of hours by their bosses in 'right to switch off' plan

By Emily Cooper
THE DAILY MIRROR
18 August 2024 

Workers who are relentlessly contacted by their bosses outside of work hours could be entitled to compensation - as Labour pushes the 'right to switch off'.

Plans under consideration by the new Labour government could help employees draw a line in the sand between their work and home life - as seen in the party's 'right to switch off' campaign pledge.

The government are looking to push out a code of practice which sets out normal working hours and clarifies when an employee can expect to be contacted by their employer.

Continue watchingRival anti-immigration marchers and counter protest rally face offafter the ad

The policy, believed to be spearheaded by new deputy prime minister Angela Raynor, includes the right for worker's to refuse to take on extra work on weekends or to carry out work-related tasks while on annual leave.

Pushy bosses who repeatedly breach this agreement could be taken to an employment tribunal and drained of thousands of pounds as compensation.

The Labour government is looking to introduce the 'right to switch off' in a plan believed to be spearheaded by Deputy Prime Minister Angela Raynor (pictured)

The government are looking to push out a code of practice which sets out normal working hours and clarifies when an employee can expect to be contacted by their employer (Stock Image)


Although the out-of-hours contact would not warrant litigation on its own, employees could point to it as part of a wider claim against their employer.

Such practice could increase the likelihood of a worker successfully winning their claim, according to The Times.

As it stands companies who are proven to have ignored codes of practice set out by Acas are required to pay compensation - which can be increased by 25 per cent depending on aggravating factors.

Acas is an indpendant public body that provides free and impartial information to both employers and employees on workplace relations and employment law.

UK
Grenfell Tower residents told to 'stay put for too long'

Kate Lamble
Presenter, Grenfell: Building a Disaster•@katelamble
Jo Casserly
Producer, Grenfell: Building a Disaster•@JoCasserly

BBC

Getty Images
Residents of Grenfell Tower were told to “stay put for too long” during the fire which destroyed the building, London Fire Brigade (LFB) boss Andy Roe has told the BBC.

Mr Roe - who revoked the "stay put" advice minutes after taking charge at the scene - acknowledged the policy “would have had an impact on people's decision making”.

Seventy-two people died as a result of the fire at the West London tower block, which broke out in the early hours of 14 June 2017.

A public inquiry has been hearing evidence about the causes of - and response to - the fire since September 2017. Its final report is due next month.

Just before 01:00 a fire broke out in the kitchen of a fourth floor flat at the 23 storey tower block in North Kensington.

The fire was reported and 999 call handlers working for the LFB told residents not directly affected by fire, heat or smoke to remain in their flats until help arrived. But as they were issuing this advice, the fire was spreading rapidly.

The effectiveness of “stay put” - which remains the policy in the event of fire in most high-rise buildings - relies on a building being properly constructed. Regulations should prevent fire spreading from one flat to another for at least 60 minutes.

This was not the case at Grenfell Tower. As part of a refurbishment, combustible cladding and insulation had been fitted on the outside of the building, and in less than 20 minutes, the fire climbed 19 storeys to the top of the tower, fuelled by the flammable materials.

The Grenfell Tower inquiry has already found “many more lives” would likely have been saved if incident commanders had told residents to evacuate an hour earlier.

Speaking to the BBC podcast Grenfell: Building a disaster London Fire Commissioner Andy Roe - who was assistant commissioner at the time of the fire - spoke of his disbelief and horror when he arrived at the scene at 02:30 to find three sides of the building alight.

“It was a shock - people were screaming,” Mr Roe said. “I could look into the building and see that fire was a long way inside it. People hanging from windows. Unbelievable...people on the ground as well.

“I was in my fire brigade uniform, so people were stopping me and saying, ‘What's happening? My mum's in there, my brothers and sisters are in there’.”

What happened at Grenfell Tower?

No Grenfell charges until end of 2026, police say

As the most senior officer on site Mr Roe took over as incident commander, and at 02:47 - one hour and 53 minutes after the first emergency call - gave the order to revoke the "stay put" policy. From then on, anyone calling 999 was told to get out of the building.

“What I must say, out of respect to the families, is that people were advised to stay put for too long,” Mr Roe said.

Revoking the "stay put" advice was “an easy decision to take”, he said, but would have been more difficult to make earlier in the night, due to the risks of evacuating people through smoke logged stairwells.

LFB
LFB commissioner Andy Roe says Grenfell's residents were advised to stay put for too long

Munira Mahmoud, a Grenfell resident who left the tower with her children on the night of the fire, last spoke to her friend Rania Ibrahim, who lived on the 23rd floor, at around 03:00.

Call handlers had advised Rania “the safest place for you at the moment is in the flat” - and she had decided to remain there.

Munira urged Rania to leave, but Rania said she would not be able to survive. Rania was coughing, and by now the tower's hallways and stairwells were thick with black smoke.

Rania Ibrahim and her two daughters, Hania, age 3 and Fethia, age 4, died in their flat.

Messages from the tower: Piecing together the timeline of London's Grenfell Tower fire in the words of victims and survivors

Reflecting on the guidance given to Grenfell Tower residents by the London Fire Brigade to remain in their homes, Mr Roe told the BBC: “We're all talking about this with the benefit of hindsight, but we know that advice would have had an impact on people's decision making.

"It would just be so wrong to the families, to those who lost their lives, not to recognise that.”

Listen to Grenfell: Building a disaster on BBC Sounds.

Missed opportunities, unheeded warnings and the failure of a state to protect its citizens. What a fire in West London that killed 72 people shows us how Britain works, and doesn’t.

Lahore police probing claims about disinformation that sparked UK riots

Atika Rehman | Imran Gabol

Published August 19, 2024
DAWN

LONDON / LAHORE: More than a week after the UK witnessed widespread riots in the aftermath of the fatal stabbing of three young girls in Southport, law enforcement agencies in Pakistan are probing claims that the disinformation originated from a website that also has a footprint in Pakistan.

Recent reports aired by UK media identified a little-known platform, Channel3Now, as being the source of the disinformation that claimed the British-born 17-year-old suspect was a Muslim immigrant, who had arrived in the UK on a boat.

However, the assertion by UK broadcaster ITV News that a Pakistani individual was the originator of the false news story has been questioned, both by local law enforcement and other UK media outlets.

Lahore Deputy Inspector General (Operations) Faisal Kamran told Dawn they were analysing the claims made by UK broadcaster ITV News and had initiated a probe.

No official word on whether UK authorities have sought assistance from Pakistan

There has been no official word, both from UK and Pakistani authorities, about any formal contacts between the two governments on the issue.

But sources in local law enforcement say that the person identified in the ITV report was a freelancer working for the website, which aggregates crime-related news from UK and the US and republishes the stories for the sake of clicks and advertising revenue.

The BBC report, which tracked down several people linked to Channel3Now, also endorses the view that the platform appears to be “a commercial operation attempting to aggregate crime news while making money on social media”.

It recruits freelance writers from several countries, including Pakistan and India.

The BBC traced the people behind Channel3Now, including individuals in Pakistan, Canada and the US.

It also named an individual linked to the platform, Kevin, who said there are “more than 30” people in the US, UK, Pakistan and India who work for the site, which usually recruits freelancers.

But the subsequent ITV report, which included a doorstep interview confronting Farhan Asif — the Lahore-based contributor for Channel3Now — painted him as playing “a significant role in a network of news websites that have promoted falsehoods”.

It noted, however, that Channel3Now regularly publishes sensational news stories under the pretense of being an American-style TV channel.

The BBC, in contrast, quoted Kevin as saying that Farhan Asif in particular was not involved in the false Southport story, which the site has publicly apologised for, and blamed “our UK-based team”.

It is also worth mentioning that although the freelancer is referred to as a journalist in some reports, journalistic circles in Lahore say they’ve never heard of him.

Wider disinfo network

Despite claims of Russian backing for the website, the BBC could not verify any direct links between Channel3Now and Moscow either. However, the report did confirm that pro-Kremlin channels had amplified the website’s false stories, further fueling unrest in the UK .

BBC News’ disinformation correspondent Marianna Spring noted: “I did not find any evidence to substantiate claims that Channel3Now’s misinformation could be linked to the Russian state. [A] person claiming to be from Channel3Now‘s management told me that the publication of the false name “shouldn’t have happened, but it was an error, not intentional”.

Although no direct links with that operation have been proven, some observers say this website may be linked to the Srivastava Group, an Indian company that ran a vast network of anti-Pakistan fake news websites, which was unearthed by the EU DisinfoLab in a 2019 investigation.

Although many of the websites that were part of this disinformation network have been disbanded since they were exposed, it is possible that the same people are operating a new set of websites for similar purposes.

Published in Dawn, August 19th, 2024

UK

WAIT, WHAT?!

Former Tory rail minister admits failure on reform – and praises train staff and unions

Huw Merriman: ‘These people work hard and should be shown more respect’

Simon Calder
Travel Correspondent

Huw Merriman, the former rail minister, appearing at the transport select committee 

The last Tory rail minister has made a surprise intervention in the row over train driver pay – praising railway staff and saying he understands why Labour ministers chose to “cut a deal” with the train drivers.

Last week the new transport secretary, Louise Haigh, reached an agreement with the train drivers’ union, Aslef, for a “no-strings” pay rise worth 15 per cent over three years.


Members will begin voting on the offer, for which union leaders have urged acceptance, on 28 August. A large majority is expected in favour of the deal.

But within 48 hours of reaching an agreement, Aslef announced fresh strikes by train drivers working for the state-owned East Coast Main Line operator LNER.

The train drivers’ union says drivers will strike each weekend until 10 November following “a breakdown in industrial relations, bullying by management, and persistent breaking of agreements by the company”.

Weekend strikes are planned on LNER services (EPA-EFE)

Tory leadership candidate James Cleverly accused the Labour government of being “played by its union paymasters”.


But in a series of Sunday evening posts on X (formerly Twitter), Huw Merriman expressed respect for rail staff and their unions.

He wrote: “In my time as rail minister, I was fortunate to meet and work with those who crewed trains and stations, managed the railway and worked with pride for their passengers.

“I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to reach an agreement with all unions who were on strike.”

Mr Merriman was appointed rail minister by Rishi Sunak in October 2022, three months after the train drivers began their industrial action.

The government insisted any wage rise was contingent on radical changes to working practices, while the union demanded an unconditional pay increase. Aslef says the last time he met them for talks was in January 2023.


The former minister wrote: “Having tried to bring in workplace reform to improve rail services and, holding my hands up, failed, I can understand why the new government have decided to cut a deal to end the uncertainty and move on with goodwill.

“Whilst it’s legitimate to debate the terms of the deal, the demonisation of train drivers and those on board and at stations, who carry out a difficult and skilled job for the safety of passengers, is completely unfair. These people work hard and should be shown more respect.

“Despite reports, I had a good working relationship with the rail union leaders and recognised their role representing members.


“I hope, by sticking my head up and accepting my part, others can show our rail workforce the respect and recognition they deserve and focus on the future.”

Mr Merriman stood down as MP for Bexhill and Battle at the July 2024 election. His seat was held by the Conservatives.

UK
Wealth tax on super-rich could raise £24billion - enough to fill black hole in public finances

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said she will be forced to make 'tough decisions' after the government said it had uncovered a £22billion hole in the public finances

Researchers say the very wealthiest often pay a lower rate of tax than ordinary workers 

By Graham Hiscott

Head of Business

00:01, 19 Aug 2024


A tax on Britain’s super-rich could raise £24billion - more than enough to fill the black hole in the public finances, a report suggests.

Researchers say the very wealthiest often pay a lower rate of tax than ordinary workers. This, along with scale of the national debt after 14 years under the Tories, has led to growing calls for a wealth tax.

It comes ahead of the Budget at the end of October, with Chancellor Rachel Reeves expected to unveil tax rises. Ms Reeves has said she will be forced to make “tough decisions” after the government said it had uncovered a £22billion hole in the public finances. It has already scrapped winter fuel payments for around 10 million pensioners.

Campaign group Tax Justice Network claims a wealth tax based broadly on one used in Spain could raise £1.6trillion globally, and £24billion in the UK. Spain’s system taxes the assets - including property, shareholders and other income - of the richest 0.5% of the country’s taxpayers.

In the UK, any such tax would hit around 258,000 people. The levy would apply only to assets above a certain level - for instance more than around £3million - the Tax Justice Network says.

The rate would progressively increase, from 1.7% through to 3.5% on the very richest 0.05%, of whom there are estimated to be 26,000 people in the UK. The idea comes amid criticism of what today’s report says is a two-tier tax system. It says “collected” wealth – for instance dividends, capital gains and rent – is typically taxed at far lower rates than “earned wealth”, such as salaries

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said she will be forced to make 'tough decisions' at the Budget

Mark Bou Mansour, spokesman for the Tax Justice Network, said: “Our tax rules make it easier for the superrich to collect wealth than for the rest of us to earn it. This has let the superrich collect extreme wealth to the point of making our economies insecure and making it scarcely pay to earn a living.

“There’s this idea that billionaires earn wealth like everybody else, they’re just better at it. This is bogus” He added: “We need wealth taxes that end the two-tier treatment of wealth.”

The study also claims a wealth tax would not, as some claim, lead to a mass exodus of wealthy people. It says just 0.01% of the richest households relocated after wealth tax reforms were implemented in Norway, Sweden and Denmark.

'Treated like slaves' on Scottish fishing boats

BBC

Gavin Hopkins
Joel Quince travelled from the Philippines to work as a deckhand with TN Trawlers
Chris Clements and Monica Whitlock

Disclosure and File on 4

Dozens of workers from around the world may have been trafficked into the UK to work for a small family-owned Scottish fishing firm, a BBC investigation has revealed.

Thirty-five men from the Philippines, Ghana, India and Sri Lanka were recognised as victims of modern slavery by the Home Office after being referred to it between 2012 and 2020.

The workers were employed by TN Trawlers and its sister companies, owned by the Nicholson family, based in the small town of Annan on the southern coast of Scotland.

The TN Group denied any allegation of modern slavery or human trafficking and said its workers were well treated and well paid.


The company was the focus of two long-running criminal investigations but no cases of human trafficking or modern slavery have come to trial, although some of the men waited years to give evidence.

While TN Trawlers’ lead director, Thomas Nicholson, was under active investigation, TN Group companies continued recruiting new employees from across the world.


Joel Quince had been expecting to earn a good income in the UK


Experienced fisherman Joel Quince was 28 when he landed at Heathrow Airport in 2012, thrilled to have secured a job as a deckhand with TN trawlers.

Joel had a young family back home in the Philippines, thousands of miles away. He had been expecting to earn a good income working in the UK. He was to be paid $1,012 (£660) a month for a 48-hour week.

He caught a bus from London to Carlisle, where, he says, he was picked up by the owner’s son, Tom Nicholson Jr.

“On our way to go to the boat he told us: 'You have to give me your documents' - so without hesitation I gave all my documents to them,” he said.

Joel says he was then taken straight to the fishing ground to start working.

But he was surprised to find that his boat was the Philomena rather than the Mattanja, which was the only vessel he was authorised to work on under the terms of his visa. “This was already something fishy for me,” he said

He claims that instead of the 48-hour week he had been told about, he was working 18 hours a day, seven days a week while the Philomena was out fishing.

On his monthly wage of £637, it meant Joel was earning less than the UK minimum wage – although at that time there was no legal requirement to pay it to fishermen like him.

Alamy
The Philomena was one of the company's vessels


Joel was one of about 30 seafarers who arrived in the UK to join TN Trawlers between 2011 and 2013, mostly from the Philippines. They joined dredgers trawling for scallops along the UK coastline.

These dredgers, built in the 1970s and 80s, work by towing metal nets along the seabed. They scrape up shellfish, as well as stones and bycatch – the other marine life which gets caught in the nets. Deckhands throw back the stones and pack the scallops in ice below deck.

Several of the men the BBC spoke to had little or no fishing experience. All describe working shift patterns as gruelling as Joel’s or worse.

Joel said he struggled to get up to go to work because he was so exhausted – but he didn’t complain because his colleagues were also suffering.

“If I stop working, there’s three people suffering, not getting their rest, because the operation keeps continuing. They won’t stop.”

He said there was not enough drinking water on board the vessels, and the crew were reduced to eating tomatoes from the stores to wet their throats. He also said that on one occasion a skipper threw an empty Coke can at the crew.

All the men the BBC spoke to described shortages of proper clothing, food and water.

Monica Whitlock
Jaype Rubi said there was not enough food on board the dredger


Jaype Rubi was a young Filippino when he worked on board the TN dredger Sea Lady in 2012.

“Picking up and throwing out rocks is really tiring,” he said.

“The boat had CCTV, so the skipper could watch us. If we stop, he'd pull down the window and say: ‘Why are you resting’?”

Jaype said it was “super cold” and there was not enough food.

When he spoke to his mum on the phone, he started crying. “I said: 'I want to go home because it's a nightmare working on that boat'.”

Jaype said he was subjected to verbal abuse and was treated “like a slave".

Other men said that, despite arriving in the UK on 48-hour transit visa, they were told to work onshore in the TN yard at Annan, in breach of their visa entitlement.

One man, Jovito Abiero, told the BBC he was sometimes sent to the home of the company owner Tom Nicholson to do gardening.

On 22 August 2012, Joel was aboard the Philomena off the coast of Northern Ireland during rough weather.

He was fixing a broken link in the metal nets when the towing bar swung up. He leapt out of the way - but fell and hit his head on the deck.

His crew mates estimated he was unconscious for up to 15 minutes.


Joel's head was cut when he was knocked unconscious


When Joel woke up with a bandage on his head, he asked his skipper - Tom Nicholson Jr – if they were going to hospital.

“He said: 'No, we're not going to the hospital. We continue fishing',” said Joel.

Joel was given paracetamol by the skipper and his head was bandaged. The Philomena didn’t turn around and head for the port of Troon in Ayrshire until 11 hours after the accident.

Joel got off the Philomena, never to return. He found support at the Fisherman’s Mission, a harbourside charity that supports seafarers.

At that time the mission was run by two sisters, Paula Daly and Karen Burston, who helped Joel get medical help. They had been hearing rumours about TN boats for some time.

“In 2012, it became really quite abundantly clear that we were getting the same message from quite a few different crew,” said Paula.

“There were so many things that were so wrong,” added Karen.


Operation Alto


Police forces on several UK coasts had long been aware of allegations about TN Trawlers.

The company had been prosecuted in 2007 for illegal catches worth hundreds of thousands of pounds. Tom Nicholson and TN Trawlers were ordered to pay £473,000 under proceeds of crime laws.

They were also ordered to pay almost £150,000 in fines and costs after the Maritime and Coastguard Agency found a string of defects and safety breaches on vessels between 2009 and 2011.

A 2012 police briefing, seen by the BBC, also noted six Filipino fishermen swam ashore from TN boats and complained of mistreatment.

That year, police in Dumfries and Galloway launched Operation Alto, an investigation into human trafficking and labour abuse at TN Trawlers.

Eighteen former TN Trawlers employees – including Joel – passed into the Home Office’s National Referral Mechanism, a system which identifies and supports victims of human trafficking.
Monica Whitlock
Gideon Mensah was recognised as a victim of modern slavery by the Home Office



Modern slavery is a term that can encompass human trafficking and slavery, servitude and forced or compulsory labour.

The Home Office defines the essence of human trafficking as a situation where a person is “coerced or deceived into a situation where they are exploited”.

Under this guidance, the men were all given recognition by the Home Office that they had been trafficked.

They were taken to a safe house somewhere in Scotland, then police asked them to stay in the UK to help with further enquiries and act as witnesses when the case came to court.

TN Trawlers continued to recruit, switching its main recruitment operation from East Asia to West Africa.

In June 2013, Gideon Mensah from Ghana signed up to work on the TN scalop dredger Noordzee. He said he soon found himself in the same situation as the Filipinos – overworked and undernourished.

Gideon told the BBC his wages were diverted to his recruitment agent back home, leaving him with £50 cash in hand each month – just £1.66 per day.

He was later recognised as a victim of modern slavery by the Home Office and spent several years on file as a witness for forthcoming prosecutions.
Gavin Hopkins
Vishal Sharma alleged that he was threatened with deportation



In 2017, five years after Joel Quince stepped off the Philomena at Troon harbour, 25-year old Vishal Sharma left India and arrived in London on a transit visa.

He’d signed a contract with a different company to work in the engine room of a Belgian tanker for 15 months.

But his agent in India then told him to travel to a different meeting point in the south of England, and he was taken to the Noordzee.

“I asked: ‘Why am I working there? It’s not my ship… I am not a fisherman'.”

Vishal claims he was threatened with deportation if he didn’t comply.

He spent three weeks on the trawler and says he was never paid.

He claims he worked 22-hour days, had little food, and that his boots began to fall apart in the seawater.
Gavin Hopkins
Gershon Norvivor claimed deckhands would drink the washing water from the ship’s tank



Men continued to arrive from Ghana, including Augustus Mensah and Gershon Norvivor. They both described being put to work in the Nicholsons’ compound before being shipped out, and both ended up working on a vessel called on the Sea Lady.

The BBC has seen payment schedules given to both men upon employment. Both were to earn £850 per month, with an additional cash payment of £50.

Based on a 48-hour working week, they would receive £4.68 an hour.

The conditions they alleged were similar to those described to the BBC by the workers from 2012.

“We were short of food and short of water,” says Gershon.

He claimed deckhands would drink washing water from the ship’s rusty tank. When the tank was empty, they’d melt the ice used to pack the scallops.

“We went to the fish room with a bucket or a sack and you put an ice block in… you put it on the stove… and the guys would make coffee with it.”
Gavin Hopkins
Augustus Mensah said the men were happy to be rescued by the police



On 6 December 2017, a dredge net full of scallops swung and crashed into Augustus’ head and knocked him out. Gershon did what he could to help his friend, rinsing away the blood.

The crew managed to get word to the police onshore in Portsmouth.

“When we were rescued by the police we were very happy,” said Augustus.

Augustus, Gershon and Vishal, along with six other crew members from Ghana, India and Sri Lanka, were taken into the National Referral Mechanism system and recognised by the Home Office as victims of modern slavery. They were asked to stay in the UK as potential witnesses in the ongoing investigation into Thomas Nicholson Snr and TN Trawlers.

After a five-year wait, the case was dropped after some of the men failed to identify suspects during an identity parade.

In a letter from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) this year, Vishal was told that, while prosecutors said there was evidence a crime had been committed, there was not enough evidence to prove the identity of the perpetrator.

Disclosure: Slavery at Sea

A three-year investigation uncovers allegations of modern slavery aboard UK fishing vessels.

Watch on BBC iPlayer or on BBC Scotland at 21:00 on Monday.




The Filipinos’ case finally reached Hamilton Sheriff Court in October 2022, some 10 years after the men were removed from the boats.

Thomas Nicholson Snr and TN Trawlers pleaded guilty to failing to get adequate care for Joel Quince. The Crown accepted his not guilty plea to withholding some of the Filipino crewmen’s passports without reasonable excuse.

Despite the Home Office’s conclusion that the men were trafficking victims, the case did not involve charges of trafficking or modern slavery.

Thomas Nicholson Snr was fined £13,500 and ordered to pay Joel £3,000 in compensation.

Text message exchanges between Nicholson Snr and the vessel’s skipper Tom Nicholson Jr on the day of the accident were read out in court, in which the father instructed his son not to take Joel ashore for medical treatment.

After hearing the messages, Joel told the BBC: “He was a devil with a human image. He doesn’t see me as a person... he doesn’t see us.”




Thomas Nicholson Snr was the director of TN Trawlers, TN Enterprises, Sea Lady Trawlers, and Olivia Jean. The companies owned at least six scallop dredgers.

A spokesman for TN Group said it disputed suggestions that workers were mistreated.

It said it always provided food and accommodation to workers and that they were “always free to come and go when ashore”.

He said: “The overwhelming experience of our workers was that they were well treated and well remunerated. We dispute many of the accounts put to us, in some cases over a decade on.

“We absolutely refute any allegation of modern slavery or human trafficking and our many testimonials and long-term employees are testament to that."

He said the company regretted the delay in bringing Joel Quince ashore for medical treatment.

“We fell short on that occasion. We have accepted responsibility, compensated and we apologise to that individual,” said the spokesman.

“Working conditions on the high seas, sometimes in dangerous waters and in a confined environment, are extremely difficult."
Monica Whitlock
The men meet at the Fisherman's Mission in Troon



The Crown Office said it was fully committed to tackling human trafficking.

“We recognise that the time taken in dealing with these complex and challenging matters has been difficult for those affected,” said a spokesperson.

“COPFS deal with every case on its own individual facts and circumstances and takes action where it assesses there is sufficient admissible evidence that a crime has been committed and it is in the public interest to do so.”

Life after TN Trawlers has seen mixed fortunes for its former crewmen.

Many of those involved in Operation Alto have had their permission to remain in the UK extended, some indefinitely. This enables them to work in the UK and support their families – something they had always wanted.

The men from Ghana interviewed by the BBC have seen their leave to remain expire, meaning they face the possibility of leaving the UK.

However, all the men spoke of their bitterness at working for the company – and their experience of the justice system in the UK.

Joel Quince said his eyes had been opened.

“I see now how it works,” he said.

“This is how your UK law is done... You favour the wealthy people, and you don’t care about the poor.”

File on 4: Invisible Souls

Fishermen from the Philippines, Ghana and Sri Lanka speak out for the first time about how badly they say they were treated by a Scottish fishing company.

Listen on BBC Radio 4 at 20:00 on Tuesday 20 August or on BBC Sounds.


Additional reporting by Rachel Coburn and Anton Ferrie

Black children in England and Wales four times more likely to be strip-searched, figures show

Rajeev Syal 

Home affairs editor

THE GUARDIAN
Sun, 18 August 2024


A solidarity rally in March 2022 outside Hackney town hall, east London, supporting Child Q, a 15-year-old black girl who was strip-searched without her parents or any other adults present.Photograph: Sabrina Merolla/Zuma Press Wire/Rex/Shutterstock


Black children are four times more likely to be strip-searched by police officers across England and Wales than their white counterparts, according to the latest nationwide figures disclosed by a watchdog.

The children’s commissioner also found that children under the age of 15 are a bigger proportion of those subjected to intimate searches, official figures from the year to June 2023 showed. Fewer than half of all searches of children in that year (45%) were conducted in the presence of an appropriate adult.

A report released on Monday also found that nearly nine out of every 10 of searches [88%] conducted by England and Wales’s 44 forces were trying to find drugs.


It said that over the five years to June 2023, children as young as eight have been strip-searched every 14 hours by police in England. More than 3,000 intimate procedures were conducted on children between January 2018 and June 2023.

In response to the report, the police made a stark admission and said that “too many strip searches carried out are unnecessary, unsafe and under-reported”.

The practice of child strip searches prompted a national outcry after the Child Q scandal, when it emerged in 2022 that a 15-year-old black girl was strip-searched at school for drugs in east London. No cannabis, the grounds for the search, was found.

Assistant chief constable Andrew Mariner, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for stop and search, said: “Two years on from the shocking case of Child Q, we are seeing progress being made. I welcome this shift, and I am cautiously optimistic about the potential to overcome entrenched systemic challenges, but there is still urgent work to be done: too many strip searches carried out are unnecessary, unsafe and under-reported.

“Today’s research serves as a stark reminder that this is not an isolated issue in the capital. A much higher threshold should be met before a child is subjected to what we know can be a traumatising search.

“We need a culture of trust to be built between children and the police, so it’s vital that improvements continue, with fewer searches carried out, better data recording when they do, and that good practice and improvements are identified and modelled across the country.”

Police promised a new review of the rules when officers use their powers to stop a person: “We will also conduct a full review of our authorised professional practice in respect of stop and search. This detailed and wide-ranging review will seek to examine all aspects of stop and search, including strip searches, and make any necessary changes to policing policy and national practices.”

The Home Office says strip searches play an important role in protecting the public and that strict safeguards are in place.

Related: Disciplinary hearing date for Child Q strip-search officers still to be set

Rachel de Souza, the children’s commissioner, said urgent procedural change was needed to tackle widespread racial disparity, and to ensure that children are not left at risk during these intimate searches.

“Throughout England and Wales, police continue to strip-search children as part of stop and searches, revealing concerning practices and widespread failure to comply with safeguarding procedures designed to protect children.

“Senior police officers have shared with me that there will be certain, limited times when an immediate risk of harm means that a search of this nature is both appropriate and necessary.

“My firm recommendation is that this should only be the case where there is a clear and immediate danger to the child or others. However, the majority of searches are still conducted on suspicion of drugs and nearly half result in no further action.

“Two years on from the shocking case of Child Q in 2022, we are seeing some green shoots of progress in how the police carry out and record strip-searches on children.

“Today’s research serves as a stark reminder that this is not an isolated issue in the capital. A much higher threshold should be met before a child is subjected to a humiliating and traumatising intimate search.”

Monday’s report is the third from de Souza in her work to investigate the use of strip-searching powers by police forces on children.

Related: Thousands of children strip-searched by police in England and Wales last year

It confirms that the numbers of strip-searches are lower overall, especially in London, while the majority of police forces are reporting changes to procedures and a fall in the proportion of black children subjected to strip searches between 2022 and 2023.

However, the report still found widespread failure to comply with safeguarding processes designed to protect children during intimate searches.

These include concerns that:

Of the children strip-searched between 2022 and 2023, 27% were black, while black children form 6% of the child population of England and Wales. For white children, the corresponding percentages were 59% and 74%. The report notes that this is an improvement on figures between 2018 and 2023, when black people were six times more likely to be searched.


Between July 2022 and June 2023, a parent, carer or social worker could not be confirmed to be present in 45% of searches.


During the same period, the majority of searches – 88% – were conducted on suspicion of drugs, with just 6% on suspicion of carrying weapons or blades. Strip searches should, de Souza said, be carried out on children only where there is a clear and immediate risk of harm to themselves or to others.


The proportion of searches conducted involving a child aged 15 or younger has increased from 23% to 28% between July 2022 and June 2023, compared with the previous four years.

Child Q was ordered to undress after being wrongly suspected of carrying drugs. The search was conducted after teachers called police, while the girl was on her period, without her parents being contacted and with no other adults present.

The search sparked days of protests in 2022 outside the girl’s east London school and was said to have left her traumatised and humiliated.

The Metropolitan police apologised and the Independent Office for Police Conduct has since called for a substantial review of policing powers under the laws relating to the strip searches of children, to improve safeguarding and prioritise the welfare of minors.

De Souza’s latest report said there were signs of improvement, including lower numbers of strip searches overall and, especially in London, the majority of police forces reporting changes to procedures, and a fall in the proportion of black children subjected to strip searches between 2022 and 2023.

In her 2023 report, de Souza heard from a male victim of child criminal exploitation and county lines who was arrested multiple times between the ages of 13 and 18 and strip-searched up to four times in custody. He was first strip-searched in custody aged 13, without an appropriate adult present, having been arrested in school.

A Metropolitan police spokesperson said: “We have a duty to do everything we can to prevent children in London from being used in the supply of drugs or involved in knife crime as either victims or offenders.

“We know these searches are intrusive and should only be used where there is a risk of serious harm to the child or others, and where used we must ensure that children are protected and safeguarded.

“We introduced a new policy to improve these types of searches in May 2022, including the requirement of inspector authorisation, mandatory safeguarding referrals and new guidance for officers.”

One in 20 child strip-searches 'didn't follow rules'

Adina Campbell

BBC

UK correspondent•@adinacampbell
PA Media
Children's Commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza


One in 20 child strip-searches by police were not compliant with legal codes of practice in England and Wales over five years, a report by the Children’s Commissioner has found.

More than 3,000 strip searches were carried out on children between 2018 and mid-2023, according to data gathered by Dame Rachel de Souza.

On average, one child was strip-searched every 14 hours under police stop and search powers.

A Home Office spokesperson said: "No child should ever be strip-searched without an appropriate adult, unless there is a risk of serious harm to themselves or others, nor should they ever be conducted, on the basis of their race and ethnicity."


'Culture of trust'


Dame Rachel said too many of these searches were "unnecessary, unsafe and under-reported".

She added that a much higher threshold should be met before a child is "subjected to a humiliating and traumatising intimate search".

"We need a culture of trust to be built between children and the police, so it's vital that improvements continue at pace."

Police in England and Wales can carry out strip-searches if guidelines are followed under stop-and-search powers or in custody.

Officers have to ensure they act in a sensitive, proportionate way and an appropriate adult must be present.

The key findings:3,368 strip-searches of children were conducted by 44 police forces* in England and Wales between January 2018 and June 2023
1 in 20 strip-searches were not compliant with statutory codes of practice
47% of searches resulted in 'no further action’

*Includes the British Transport Police

This latest report, commissioned following the case of Child Q, does show some improvements, with a lower number of strip-searches overall and better safeguarding referrals.

There was also a fall in the number of strip-searches on black children between 2022 and 2023, but they were still four times more likely to be strip-searched than the overall child population.

'Left naked in the cell'

I met a mother who says her 14-year-old son was strip-searched while in custody in the south of England without an appropriate adult present.

He was arrested on suspicion of possessing cannabis but claims it was a small amount for personal use.

"He was strip-searched and then left naked in the cell," the boy's mother said.

He was diagnosed with autism in primary school and now, in his twenties, is living with psychosis, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

His mother says his mental health has been severely damaged by multiple stop and searches during his childhood and has accused police of targeting him because of his black ethnic heritage.

"The police brutality that he's experienced, it's not something that professionals want to talk about and address with him."

"One of the issues that we have is that where he's been brought up in predominantly white environments, he minimises a lot of the racism that happens to him."

Elaine Isadora Thomas is the Founder and CEO of The Mentoring Lab, a youth organisation in Hackney, east London which supports young people, parents and community groups from marginalised backgrounds.

"This report is damning. It damages what we expect from police and the police service," she said.

"If we're strip-searching young people, and it's disproportionately against young people who are from African and Caribbean backgrounds, then we're not looking at the root causes.

"If we take a no strip-search approach, then we have to look at other options."

The Home Office said the government has committed to introducing new safeguards for strip-searching children and young people in its manifesto and would carefully consider the Children's Commissioner’s recommendations to ensure police can keep people safe in a fair and proportionate way, with full regard for a child's dignity.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), which brings together leaders from forces across the country, says it's working with the Home Office, the College of Policing, and others to make changes to the codes of practice governing strip searches.

Assistant Chief Constable Andrew Mariner, the NPCC's lead for stop and search, said he agreed with the report's findings and that the group would be "refining existing training for officers that explicitly teach the trauma that these types of searches can have on individuals and communities".

One child strip searched every 14 hours - with appropriate adult not recorded in almost half of recent cases

Sky News
Sun, 18 August 2024 



One child is strip searched every 14 hours, according to data in a report by the Children's Commissioner, with police failing to record an appropriate adult in almost half of recent searches.

The report shows there were 3,368 strip searches of children between January 2018 and June 2023 in England and Wales - with 457 over the last 12 months of that period.

Between July 2022 and June 2023, an appropriate adult - usually a parent or guardian - could not be confirmed present in 39% of searches, while none was present in 6% of cases.

Black children are four times more likely to be searched, a slight change from the period covering 2018-22 when they were six times more likely.

But Dame Rachel de Souza's report shows the number of strip searches - those exposing intimate parts - under stop and search of children in 2022 was 42% lower than in 2020.

"I am particularly reassured by the progress in London by the Metropolitan Police, but today's research serves as a stark reminder that this is not an isolated issue in the capital," Dame Rachel said.

"A much higher threshold should be met before a child is subjected to a humiliating and traumatising intimate search."

She added there remains "urgent work to be done", with "too many" strip searches being "unnecessary, unsafe and underreported".

Percentage of strip searches conducted per year

The high-profile case of Child Q, a 15-year-old schoolgirl strip searched in 2020 having been wrongly accused of possessing cannabis, prompted outrage when it emerged in 2022.

Scotland Yard apologised after the girl, who is black, was strip searched while on her period with no appropriate adult present at a school in east London.

Three Metropolitan Police officers are facing allegations of gross misconduct over the search, with a hearing date yet to be confirmed.

Responding to the report, Chief Constable Craig Guildford, the National Police Chiefs' Council lead for ethics and integrity, said: "If an officer considers it necessary to search a child, this must be carried out in line with legislation, policy, and procedure and that safeguards are in place.

"Work with partners continues in order to inform best practice and to implement positive change wherever it is required."


Child strip searches down but widespread safeguarding failures remain – report

Aine Fox, PA Social Affairs Correspondent
Sun, 18 August 2024 

The number of child strip searches by police forces across England and Wales appears to be falling but safeguarding failures remain a problem, according to a report from the Children’s Commissioner.

There were 3,368 strip searches of children carried out by 44 police forces – including British Transport Police – between January 2018 and June 2023, according to data provided by forces to the commissioner.

Dame Rachel de Souza said her report is a first of its kind, giving a complete analysis of strip searches for this five-and-a-half-year period, using her statutory powers to request the data.

Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza said her latest report shows ‘some green shoots of progress’ on strip searches (Aaron Chown/PA)

The high-profile case of Child Q, a 15-year-old schoolgirl strip searched in 2020 having been wrongly accused of possessing cannabis, prompted outrage when it emerged in 2022, and has been described by the commissioner as “shocking” and something which should not happen again.

The girl, who is black, was strip searched while on her period with no appropriate adult present at a school in Hackney, east London. Scotland Yard later apologised.

Three Metropolitan Police officers are facing allegations of gross misconduct over the search, with a hearing date yet to be confirmed.

Dame Rachel’s latest report shows the number of strip searches – those exposing intimate parts – under stop and search of children in England and Wales in 2022 was 42% lower than in 2020.

There was a “sharp reduction” in the proportion of all searches in London from 2021, with a “striking change” between 2018 and June 2023, the report said.

With the report coming not long after violent street disorder in parts of the UK, Dame Rachel spoke of the need for a “culture of trust to be built between children and the police”, given the “vital importance of responsive, trusted policing in our communities” seen this summer.

The latest research shows data for July 2022 to June 2023 for the first time.

Black children across the two nations were four times more likely to be searched compared with national population figures, although this was an improvement on the 2018-22 period when they were six times more likely to be searched.

The commissioner said while the disparity has reduced, the disproportionate number of searches experienced by black children “remains a critical concern”.

Between July 2022 and June 2023, 88% of searches were conducted on suspicion of drugs, and 6% on suspicion of carrying weapons.

Some 457 searches were carried out on children between July 2022 and June 2023 across the two nations, half of which led to no further action.

The commissioner said this statistic calls into question “the necessity of such an intrusive search in the first place”.

In what Dame Rachel said was an indication that more children are receiving support after a strip search, her report showed the majority of police forces have made procedural changes to how they are carried out and that nearly half of searches between July 2022 and June 2023 saw a safeguarding referral – a “significant increase” from previous years.

She said the data shows “some green shoots of progress in how the police carry out and record strip searches on children” and added that she is “cautiously optimistic about the potential to overcome entrenched systemic challenges”.

She said: “I am particularly reassured by the progress in London by the Metropolitan Police, but today’s research serves as a stark reminder that this is not an isolated issue in the capital.

“A much higher threshold should be met before a child is subjected to a humiliating and traumatising intimate search.”

She said there remains “urgent work to be done: too many strip searches carried out are unnecessary, unsafe and underreported”.

New guidelines for police were proposed in April, including raising the minimum rank of authorisation for a child strip search to police inspector and requiring a parent or guardian to be informed.

The report also appeared to show a rise in searches in Wales, although one Welsh force said it had mistakenly provided incorrect data which had contributed to a higher overall figure.

While England accounted for the majority (88%) of searches in this period, Wales accounted for 11%, which the report said was a six percentage point increase compared with 2018-June 2022 figures.

Wales’s child strip search rate of 1.72 searches per 10,000 10 to 17-year-olds was around six times higher than the lowest rate, in Yorkshire and the Humber (0.3 per 10,000) for the period from July 2022 to June 2023, the report said.

For that period, initial data showed Dyfed-Powys was the police force area with the highest search rate (0.07), followed by Merseyside and Northamptonshire (both 0.04), Durham (0.03) and Suffolk (0.02).

The authors cautioned that the finding of higher searches in Wales may in part be a result of better data quality and said their analysis assumes that each strip search is of a different child when it may be that some children are strip searched more than once.

But Dyfed-Powys Police has since said the data it provided earlier this year was incorrect, and that only one strip search was carried out on a child during the time the report covers, which would affect the data for the rest of Wales.

The force said: “We regret this mistake being made, and the concern it will have caused our communities to see such a high figure linked to our force.

“A review of the process is being carried out to ensure this does not happen again.”

Chief Constable Craig Guildford, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for ethics and integrity, said: “We always welcome the Children’s Commissioner’s reports and the accountability that comes with it.

“Police have an important role in ensuring the safety of young and vulnerable people and that each interaction with them is fair and handled with sensitivity.

“If an officer considers it necessary to search a child, this must be carried out in line with legislation, policy, and procedure and that safeguards are in place.

“Work with partners continues in order to inform best practice and to implement positive change wherever it is required.

“We will carefully consider the findings from the Children’s Commissioner as part of this work.”


Police believe strip-searching children can be effective, but suspicions of misuse remain

Vikram Dodd 

Police and crime correspondent
Sun, 18 August 2024 

THE GUARDIAN

A protest outside Stoke Newington police station in London in 2022 after a black 15-year-old schoolgirl, referred to as Child Q, was strip-searched by police while menstruating.Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA

When is it reasonable, necessary and proportionate for agents of the state, such as police officers, to take actions that are likely to leave a child traumatised?

There is little dispute that compelling anyone, let alone a child, to expose their intimate body parts against their will to a stranger causes real emotional pain. But police believe strip-searching can be a useful tool.

The police believe the use of “plugging”, the secretion of illegal drugs, increased with the growth of the “county lines” phenomenon, which saw children used as mules to move drugs from big cities to smaller towns.

Young people have been lured or threatened by drugs gangs who believe police will be reluctant to target people aged under 18.

Monday’s report from the children’s commissioner found that in almost nine out of 10 strip searches, officers gave suspicion of drug possession as the reason.

A spokesperson for the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) said: “Where there are reasonable grounds to suspect that a child is carrying unlawful items secreted on their person (eg drugs or weapons) and the items will not be voluntarily surrendered, then to ensure the child is not exposed to serious harm by allowing continued possession, a strip search may be appropriate.

“The police are under a positive duty to protect life and prevent an individual coming to serious harm or being subject of degrading treatment through the unlawful acts of another, eg child criminal exploitation.

“To leave children in possession of illegal items that could threaten their life or safety may be in negligent breach of the child’s human rights.”

The report says that when young people are strip-searched, nothing is found in about half the cases. In comparison, evidence of a crime is found in about 25% of stops and searches on all ages, the police inspectorate reported last week.

Police use of strip-search powers carry an assessment, formal and informal, of the benefits versus the risks. After the Child Q scandal erupted in 2022, it was clear that police had been getting that balance wrong.

The report also highlights a racial disparity: black children are four times more likely to be strip-searched than their white counterparts. It fits a pattern of black people being disproportionately targeted by police powers.

As the NPCC said when launching a plan to reform their record on race in 2022: “Black people are seven times more likely to be stopped and searched than white people and five times more likely to be subjected to the use of force … 10% of our recorded searches, 27% of use-of-force incidents and 35% of Taser incidents involved someone from a black ethnic group.

“The latest estimates suggest that only 3.5% of the population is black.”

Some, including the NPCC chair, Gavin Stephens, believe this is explained by institutional racism. Officially, police forces and most of his fellow chiefs do not accept this.

The report from the children’s commissioner is the second in two months to raise serious concerns about the police power to strip-search people. The first, looking specifically at Greater Manchester police and strip searches of mainly adult women, made scathing criticisms. One victim described police as being on a “power trip”, and the report by Dame Vera Baird KC contained findings on strip searches being used as punishment for sins real and imagined by officers.

The suspicion remains, given these two reports, that power granted to fight crime is at least in some cases being misused, and having foreseeable scarring effects on the victims.

Britain launches £3.3 million ‘Nuclear Deterrence Fund’

HMS Vanguard near Faslane.Sea

By George Allison
- August 18, 2024

According to a Prior Information Notice published on 15 August 2024, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has unveiled a £3.3 million Nuclear Deterrence Fund to ‘enhance research and expertise in nuclear deterrence’.

This is designed to address the “growing and diversifying set of threats” facing the UK, including those posed by major nuclear-armed states, emerging nuclear powers, and state-sponsored nuclear terrorism.

The fund, set to run from October 2024 to March 2027, aims to promote “innovative, high quality and impactful research in nuclear deterrence aligned with [His Majesty’s Government] priorities” and to enhance the generation and application of evidence in addressing UK nuclear deterrence policy challenges.

Additionally, the MoD intends to support a “more equal, diverse and inclusive nuclear deterrence research workforce” through this programme.

Researchers and institutions are invited to submit proposals under two pathways: the Knowledge Accelerator Pathway, which caters to short-term projects and early- to mid-career researchers, and the Advanced Pathway, which supports longer-term, multi-year research initiatives.

The fund is expected to cover a broad range of funding requirements, typically ranging from £1,000 to £125,000 per project, with consortium bids assessed individually.

The fund seeks to support the following objectives:Promote innovative, high quality and impactful research in nuclear deterrence aligned with HMG priorities.
Improve and sustain the generation and use of evidence to address UK nuclear deterrence policy challenges and effectively embed research within deterrence policymaking.
Support institutions to attract, develop, and retain early- and mid-career researchers within the UK.
Support the formation of a more equal, diverse and inclusive nuclear deterrence research workforce.
Establish enduring and sustainable structures of engagement and knowledge exchange between nuclear deterrence researchers and policymakers.

To take part, interested parties must register on the Defence Sourcing Portal (DSP), where they will undergo due diligence before becoming eligible to submit their proposals.

The MoD make clear int he notice that this fund is part of a broader commitment to strengthening the UK’s deterrence capabilities and ensuring the nation is prepared for future security challenges.