Superintendent Jim Downie was asked to reassure local people in light of a Tele article that revealed 70 youngsters under the age of 12 had been subjected to consensual searches.

At a police scrutiny board meeting Councillor Jim Clocherty took the local area commander to task over the searches, which had continued despite a previous commitment to bring them to an end.

Cllr Clocherty said: “Can you say right here and now that there will be no searches of under-12s ongoing or in the future in Inverclyde?

“There is a genuine fear about policing by consent here when the Tele runs a story where the youngest person is nine years of age.

“We know there has been a hullabuloo in the Scottish Parliament about stop and searches for the under-12s and that has followed through to a local level.” Inverclyde’s area commander Superintendent Jim Downie, who took over the role last month, was emphatic in his response.

He said: “There has been clear guidance to every member of our personnel that under no circumstances has there to be consensual searches of under 12s.

“We have reinforced this in every way to drive it forward, and that has meant verbal communication as well.” But the senior officer defended the vital role that stop and searches play in tackling crimes of violence, plus drug and alcohol-related offences.

Supt Downie added: “Legalised searches of under-12s will still take place.” Inverclyde’s most senior officer was quizzed on the same day that the Police Scotland’s Chief Constable faced combative questioning from a committee at the Scottish Parliament.

Council leader Stephen McCabe looked for reassurances that the stop and search controversy would not have an impact on local policing.

He added: You have made the case that stop and searches make the streets of Inverclyde safer.” The Supt replied: “We will continue with our stop and search policy. But there will be no consensual search of under 12s.” The figures recently published in the Tele showed that 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 a nine-year-old.A further 2,190 13 to 16-year-olds were searched by local officers last year.

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.