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A 15-year-old boy was told to “hold your dick and lift your balls up and show me your gooch” and a police officer “ran his hands around” the buttocks of a 17-year-old during two of 25 potentially illegal strip-searches conducted at an underage music festival in Sydney, an inquiry has heard.

On Monday the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission (LECC) began public hearings into the strip-search of “several young people” at the Lost City Music festival, an under-18s event held in Sydney in February.

The inquiry is investigating the strip-searches of three boys aged 15, 16 and 17 at the festival, none of which found any illegal drugs, as well as the “general question” of how police exercise their strip-search powers in New South Wales.

On its opening morning the counsel assisting the commission, Peggy Dwyer, told the hearing at least 30 strip-searches were conducted on minors at the festival.

In NSW, officers must not conduct a strip-search outside a police station unless the urgency and seriousness of the situation requires it. In the case of minors, a parent or guardian must be present unless an immediate search is necessary to protect the person or prevent the destruction of evidence.

But the inquiry heard only five of the 30 searches were conducted in the presence of a support person. In one case, the support person provided to a 13-year-old girl was herself a minor; a 17-year-old girl from the Red Frog charity.

Dwyer read from statements given to the commission by all three boys, which included one by a 17-year-old who told investigators an officer had “ran his hands around his buttocks” during a search.

The use of strip search powers has been the focus of increasing scrutiny in NSW in recent months. Last month the state opposition called for a review of the legislation underpinning their use after Guardian Australia revealed police had strip-searched 122 girls, including two 12-year-olds in the past three years.

On Monday a senior police officer who had worked on at least 20 music festivals said he believed the legislation was too vague on the question of what constituted serious and urgent circumstances.

“Why are we even speaking about ambiguity with the legislation? It shouldn’t even be there,” the officer said. “It should be spelt out what seriousness and urgency is, because I’m sure everyone in this room would have a different opinion.”

The inquiry also heard evidence that two State Emergency Services volunteers had been organised to act as independent adults for children being strip-searched at the festival.

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