Stop and search: 9,000 under-18s in Wales checked
Children as young as seven are among thousands of under-18s stopped and searched by police in Wales.
In the four years up to March 2019, more than 9,000 children and young people were searched by officers.
Fewer than a tenth of those were arrested.
Campaigners argue that stopping and searching children is "profoundly disturbing", but police say it can "protect them and others from serious harm".
Between 2015 and 2019, children as young as seven were stopped by officers in south and north Wales.
Stop and search powers are controversial, with fears they can be misused and can target black people disproportionately.
But with knife crime on the increase, Welsh forces say stop and search is important to protect communities and deter people from committing crimes.
Figures obtained by BBC Wales after a Freedom of Information request show the number of stop and searches on under-18s increased last year.
In the South Wales Police area, 1,978 children were searched under the power between March 2018 and 2019, up from 1,265 the previous year - a 56% rise.
