Our NSW Labor Leader Jodi McKay has called on NSW Police Minister David Elliott to divulge the number of people under the age of 18 who were strip searched without a parent present following his comments about subjecting his own children to the practice.



I join with Jodi and my other Labor colleaguestocallon Minister Elliott to come clean to parents who are rightly concerned about the fact that 122 girls between the age of 12 and 17 were strip searched in the past three years.



Jodi McKaysaid:

It is concerning to every parent that 122 girls have been strip-searched by NSW Police in the past three years. These statistics have raised serious concerns in the community.



Police have a job to do but this number is unacceptable, all the more so given the young age of a number of them. I sincerely doubt those girls were aware of their legal rights particularly that a parent or guardian should be present unless there is an imminent threat to the persons safety or that a delay might result in the evidence being destroyed.



David Elliott cant just make outrageous comments about subjecting his own children to strip searches and not tell parents how many of those searches were conducted in the presence of a parent or guardian. And tell us how many of those kids were told that a parent should be present and how many of those parents were actually contacted.



David Elliott is so out of touch with mums and dads on so many issues he might as well be on another planet. The community is rightly worried that that this is happening on all too frequent basis.



I am calling Minister Elliott today to release those figures and allay the communitys fears.



We are also calling on Minister Elliott to explain the spike in the number of strip searches undertaken at music festivals. Officers conducted 5,362 strip searches at festivals in the year to 1 July 2019. Two thirds of those searches failed to yield any prohibited drugs or dangerous items.



My Labor colleagueLynda Voltz, the Shadow Police Minister, said:

This level of intrusion should be a rare exception in strip search statistics, not the norm. There should be a proper review of the laws governing strip searches as well as more training for police so that searches are conducted in accordance with the law and to ensure that peoples rights are protected.