Two Metropolitan Police officers committed gross misconduct during the “disproportionate” and “humiliating” strip search of a 15-year-old Black schoolgirl, a disciplinary hearing has found.
The teenager, known as Child Q, was forced to expose intimate parts in a “traumatic” police search at a school in Hackney, east London, in 2020, after she was wrongly suspected of carrying cannabis.
Following an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), the police disciplinary panel found that the decision to perform a strip search of the child was “disproportionate, inappropriate and unnecessary, which was humiliating for the child and made her feel degraded”.
The actions of trainee detective constable Kristina Linge and Pc Rafal Szmydynski amounted to gross misconduct while the behaviour of Pc Victoria Wray amounted to misconduct, the tribunal sitting in south east London ruled on Thursday at the conclusion of a four-week misconduct hearing.
Diane Abbott, the Labour MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, affirmed that the incident did amount to gross misconduct as she called for an end to strip searches in schools. In response to the ruling, she said in the post on X: “It was. There is no reason for strip searches in our schools and they should be banned.”
Child Q felt “demeaned” and “physically violated” and did not give evidence at the four-week hearing “because of the psychological effects that this strip search has had on her”, the panel heard.
IOPC director Amanda Rowe said: “Our sympathies remain with the young woman, who was a child at the time, and her family. It’s important to acknowledge that at the heart of this case was a child, in a vulnerable position, who officers failed to protect and unjustifiably subjected to a strip search. We know this incident has had a significant and long-lasting impact on her wellbeing.
“This case also led to widespread public concern and we have heard directly from a range of community stakeholders about the impact that this incident has had on trust and confidence in policing.
“Their decision to strip search a 15-year-old at school on suspicion of a small amount of cannabis was completely disproportionate. They failed to follow the policies that exist to ensure that children in these situations have appropriate protective measures in place.”
The Met said they are “deeply sorry” for the experience of Child Q and apologised for “organisational failings” that led to the strip search.
The force said the schoolgirl was searched on 3 December 2020 when police were called after staff raised concerns that she smelled strongly of cannabis and may have been in possession of drugs.
Two female officers conducted a more thorough search of the girl, which exposed intimate parts, in the medical room at the school, according to police.
No drugs were found.
On Thursday, Commander Jason Prins, chairman of the misconduct panel, said race was not a factor in the way Child Q was treated.
However, the panel did find that an appropriate adult was not present, a key safeguard of a child’s rights, and the child’s mother was not told of the situation. It concluded that officers “did not respect her rights as a child and failed to provide her with proper protection”.
Met Police commander Kevin Southworth said: “The experience of Child Q should never have happened and was truly regrettable. We have sincerely apologised to Child Q since this incident happened. Again, I am deeply sorry to Child Q and her family for the trauma that we caused her, and the damage this incident caused to the trust and confidence Black communities across London have in our officers.
“While the officers involved did not act correctly, we acknowledge there were organisational failings. Training to our officers around strip search and the type of search carried out on Child Q was inadequate, and our oversight of the power was also severely lacking. This left officers, often young in service or junior in rank, making difficult decisions in complex situations with little information, support or clear resources to help their decision-making.
“What happened to Child Q was a catalyst for change both for the Met and for policing nationally. While we should not have needed an incident such as Child Q to check our approach, it has absolutely led us to improving our processes and significantly reducing the number of these types of searches carried out. It’s crucial we get this right to ensure the impact on young people is minimised as far as possible.
“Sadly, we know there are children in London being exploited to carry drugs and weapons for others as well as involved in criminality, so these types of searches have to remain within police powers. The work we have done since Child Q means we now have the right safeguards in place.”
Ms Rowe added: “We have been continuing to liaise with the Home Office and have given our views on proposed amendments to strengthen legislation. We are pleased that this is being progressed and look forward to the law being changed so that children are better safeguarded and protected.”
The officers are now waiting to hear if they will be sacked, or what other penalty they may face, in light of the findings.
At the end of the IOPC’s investigation, it was found that a fourth officer, a police constable, should also face a misconduct hearing over the incident.