§ Mr. Kilroy-Silkasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the legal authority for police to interrogate children of 7 years of age in police stations; and what are the views on this procedure even where the parents' consent has been obtained.
§ Mr. Roy JenkinsThe questioning of persons, of whatever age, at police stations does not rest in general on any specific statutory authority, but arises from the performance by the police of their functions in particular in connection with the prevention and detection of crime. Chief officers of police are well aware of the guidance on the interrogation of children and young persons—whether suspected of crime or not—contained in the administrative directions appended to the Judges' Rules, which provides, inter alia, that as far as practicable children should be interviewed in the presence of a parent or guardian. There are circumstances where such interviews can most appropriately be carried out in a police station.
So far as interviews of children under the juvenile liaison scheme are concerned, I regard the manner in which they are conducted as more important than their location.