Policing of Children and Young People: A Case for “Child-Friendly Police”

Children and young people come into contact with the police for a variety of reasons such as when they commit offences, witness crimes or as victims of crimes. Children’s developing emotional and psychological maturity puts them at increased risk of exploitation during police contact and within the justice system. This paper considers the relationship between children and the police globally and analyses the international frameworks that govern this relationship. Developed as a result of a working group formed during the 2018 World Congress on Justice with Children and published by the Global Initiative on Justice with Children, this paper aims to highlight the challenges that arise during and following police contact with children, and identify and explore common themes and promising practices in relation to child-friendly policing.