Police could be sacked for strip-search of black schoolgirl on period in Hackney
Police allegedly failed to seek permission for the 'traumatic' search - AnadoluPolice officers who strip-searched a black schoolgirl while she was on her period could face the sack, Scotland Yard has announced.Three constables are accused of gross misconduct for allegedly failing to seek permission for the “traumatic” search and singling out the 15-year-old because she was black and female.The officers intimately searched the teenager at her school in Hackney, north London, in December 2020 without another adult present and in the knowledge that she was menstruating.A fourth officer will also be disciplined for misconduct following an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), the police watchdog.Officers had been called to the school after teachers reported that the child, identified only as Child Q, was in possession of cannabis.When staff searched her bag and outer clothing, no drugs were found.She was then strip-searched under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 by
Police officers who strip-searched a black schoolgirl while she was on her period could face the sack, Scotland Yard has announced.
Three constables are accused of gross misconduct for allegedly failing to seek permission for the “traumatic” search and singling out the 15-year-old because she was black and female.
The officers intimately searched the teenager at her school in Hackney, north London, in December 2020 without another adult present and in the knowledge that she was menstruating.
A fourth officer will also be disciplined for misconduct following an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), the police watchdog.
Officers had been called to the school after teachers reported that the child, identified only as Child Q, was in possession of cannabis.
When staff searched her bag and outer clothing, no drugs were found.
She was then strip-searched under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 by two female officers in the school’s medical room while two male officers and school staff stood outside.
Formal apology
The schoolgirl’s intimate body parts were exposed and she was made to take off her sanitary towel, according to an earlier safeguarding review.
Again, no drugs were found during the search.
Det Ch Supt James Conway, who leads policing in Hackney and Tower Hamlets, said that he is writing to the girl and her mother to formally apologise for the trauma she suffered.
He said: “We have been clear in saying that the experience of Child Q should never have happened and was truly regrettable. While we have publicly apologised, I am also writing formally to Child Q and her family to say sorry for the trauma that we caused her.
“It will now be for the hearing panel to determine whether the matters against the three officers are proven and it is important we don’t prejudge the outcome.
“Since Child Q we have made significant practical improvements, such as requiring more senior levels of authorisation, in how we carry out strip-searches in custody and what we call ‘more thorough searches where intimate parts are exposed’ outside of custody. We had been overusing this power, and work locally and across the Met has significantly reduced our numbers.”
Steve Noonan, the director of the IOPC, said: “The ‘strip search’ of Child Q, a 15-year-old girl, at her school in Hackney caused widespread concern. We have investigated the circumstances surrounding how this child was treated that day as fully as possible.
“We’ve found that four officers involved in the incident should face disciplinary proceedings for the parts they played. Ultimately it will be for that disciplinary panel to decide whether the allegations against them are proven.
“We will now be liaising with the Met Police around disciplinary proceedings. We’ve kept Child Q’s representatives and the officers involved updated throughout our investigation.”
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