Police in Blackpool stop and search 300 under 18s a year, a Freedom of Information request has revealed. 

The Blackpool Gazette report: 

Police have today defended stopping and searching youngsters as young as eight on the streets of Blackpool.

Over the past two years youngsters on the resort’s streets have been stopped and searched by detectives investigating a host of possible crimes, including going equipped, having stolen property and being in possession of drugs.

A Freedom of Information request by The Gazette has revealed police stop around 300 youngsters a year and, despite only a tiny percentage of those being arrested, officers have today defended their actions and said it is only done when they have “legitimate” reasons.

You can read the full story here. 

Matthew Burgess
http://www.mattburgess.co
I am a journalist and author. I am a journalist at the UK edition of WIRED magazine. In 2015, my first book Freedom of Information: A Practical Guide for UK Journalists, was published. My second book Reed Hastings: Building Netflix, was published in March 2020. I created FOI Directory in 2012 and have maintained it in my spare time ever since.