Figures released under Freedom of Information laws reveal the scale of the controversial Police Scotland policy in the area.

During 2014 a total of 68 children aged 12 and under were stopped and searched by officers.

Ten were girls and 58 were boys, including the nine-year-old — the youngest person in the area to be searched.

A further 2,190 13 to 16-year-olds were also searched by officers last year.

The search stats were made public in a week which saw Police Scotland heavily criticised for the practice.

The force’s assistant chief constable Wayne Mawson had told an influential Scottish Parliament committee last June that searches of children aged 12 and below were ‘indefensible’ and pledged that the policy would be scrapped.

It has now emerged that the practice has continued, with hundreds of children across the country searched after he gave that commitment.

Mr Mawson is now to be hauled back in front of MSPs on the Holyrood justice sub-committee for a grilling.

His boss and head of the national force, chief constable Sir Stephen House, will also be quizzed by politicians in Edinburgh. Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Alison McInnes said: “Parliament is owed an explanation as to why something that was acknowledged as indefensible nevertheless was permitted.” First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has since revealed that Police Scotland is working towards ending the practice.

A senior Inverclyde officer today responded to concerns expressed over the statistics.

Chief Inspector Elliot Brown said: “Police Scotland are currently reviewing the whole issue of consensual stop and search and remain committed to stopping the consensual stop and search of children under the age of 12.

“We will continue to scrutinise all stop and search activity to ensure that we are responding to public concerns in relation to public drinking, violence, disorder and anti-social behaviour.

“Stop and search is one of many tactics police utilise to address such issues and remains a valuable tool in assisting officers to keep children and young people safe, there is a widely acknowledged relationship between the misuse of alcohol and incidents of violence, disorder and anti social behaviour involving young people under the age of 18 and in some cases under 12 years of age.

“We work alongside our partners in health, social work, youth services and education to ensure that support is given to the young people of Inverclyde.

“We are committed to ensuring that all of our activity is open and transparent in relation to the use of stop and search, we report to the Inverclyde local authority police and fire scrutiny board on all policing activity.

“We regularly engage with local elected members, residents’ associations and community councils to ensure that we are focusing on the issues which affect local communities.” The total number of people stopped and searched in Inverclyde last year across all age groups totalled 16,737.

The vast majority were men — over 13,500.