Petition · past parliament
Stop the use of Juvenile Covert Human Intelligence Sources (child spies).
Closed
239 signatures
What the petition asks
Currently Juvenile CHIS (child spies) can be used to gather information to do with offences such as gang violence, drug offences and child sexual exploitation. They can be authorised for covert activity for up to one month which the government is trying to increase to 4 months.
The Home office has given no numbers of how many child spies are used, how the risk assessments are carried out and whether the handlers are trained to assess juvenile mental health. The capacity for children to consent to being spies is dubious given they must feel under pressure from an authority figure (the police force) and are vulnerable in a dangerous situation. Refer to 35th Report of Session 2017-2019 of the House of Lords Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee.
Timeline
| 25 Jul 2018 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 25 Jan 2019 | Closed to new signatures |
Key facts
Signatures
239
Status
Closed
Opened
25 Jul 2018
Closed
25 Jan 2019
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.