Scores of Government bodies, the armed forces and even the gambling regulator will legally be allowed to use child spies - including against their parents.
Police and the security services are among those who will be allowed to use under-18s as covert human intelligence sources (CHIS) under exceptional circumstances according to official documents.
But guidance for the Covert Intelligence Bill, currently going through the Lords, outlines other public bodies who will be allowed to employ them as undercover agents.
As well as police, MI5, MI6 and the National Crime Agency, they include the Gambling Commission, county and district councils, the Environment Agency and the Food Standards Agency.
More police took own lives in last decade than died in service
Figures from Office of National Statistics highlight growing problem first highlighted by PlymouthLive investigation - but Devon and Cornwall Police s Surfwell project is part of the fight back
Police crying at funeral for a colleague
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Three arrests and cocaine worth £75k found in military police raid
Two women and a man were arrested during the early morning operation
Two women and a man were arrested (Image: Reach PLC)
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The Met s Roads and Transport command has formed a new counter-terror team
Specialist officers, backed by armed police and sniffer dogs, to patrol buses, stops and stations and conduct vehicle checks in key locations across the capital
It comes as assistant commissioner urges Londoners not to be complacent over the festive period as number of extremism investigations reaches a record high