Community anger over schoolgirl strip-search by police

LONDON:

London’s black community last week expressed anger and outrage after a Safeguarding Children Partnership report revealed that a 15-year-old schoolgirl, wrongly accused of possessing cannabis, was humiliated after a strip-search by officers from the Met Police while she was menstruating.

The incident, which happened in December 2020, was only published this month by the City and Hackney Safeguarding Children Partnership (CHSCP). The review noted that the “traumatic” search took place at the girl’s school in Hackney, east London, without another adult present and without her parents being notified.

The CHSCP report said the impact on the secondary-school pupil – referred to as ‘Child Q’ – was “profound” and the repercussions “obvious and ongoing”.

Family members described her as changing from a ‘happy-go-lucky girl’ to a ‘timid recluse’, who hardly speaks, self-harms and needs therapy.

Teachers told the review that Child Q smelled strongly of cannabis and following their unsuccessful search of her property, they contacted the Safer Schools police officer, but he was not on-site and recommended that they call the police and ask for a female officer to attend.

Police officers arrived at the school and female officers conducted the strip-search in the medical room. Teachers remained outside the rooms, while no appropriate adult was inside.

The review, however, found that school staff had “insufficient focus on the safeguarding needs of child Q” and should have challenged the police and sought clarity on their intended actions. COVID-19 restrictions at the time were also found to have “frustrated effective communication” between school staff and the Safer Schools officer.

Six leading black MPs, including Labour’s Diane Abbott, in whose constituency the incident occurred, have voiced their anger at the humiliating strip-search of the teenager in which, according to the review, her body parts were exposed and she was asked to remove her sanitary towel during the ordeal.

A statement put out on Twitter and signed by MPs Diane Abbott, Marsha deCordova, Dawn Butler, Kate Osamor, Kim Johnson and Bell Ribeiro Addy said:

ON RECORD

“We wish to place on record our collective shock and indignation at the report of a 15-year-old black girl being subjected to a strip-search by police while at school. Both the police and school should be places of safety for young people, which make this incident all the more reprehensible.

“As black women, this story is particularly resonant, because the sad reality is that this could have been any of us in our youth. We stand in support of the victim and her family at this difficult time. No parent would ever send their child to school, expecting them to be strip-searched.

“That this could happen highlights the deep biases that are still present in parts of our institutions, as well as the work that needs to be done to ensure that police treatment of young people is both proportionate and sensitive.

“There are clear and serious safeguarding issues arising from this case that must be addressed, but we must not ignore the part that classism, sexism and racism have likely played in violating the rights of this young girl.

“Sadly, this is the latest in a series of grave revelations about the unacceptable behaviour of serving police officers. The Home Secretary must put ending the scourge of institutional racism and sexism in the Metropolitan Police at the heart of choosing the next commissioner, and urgently restore the principle of policing with consent.”

Separately, MP Diane Abbott has written to Detective Chief Superintendent Marcus Barnett, the borough commander for Hackney and Tower Hamlet, expressing disgust that this incident could have been allowed to take place under his watch.

In her letter, she said: “I note the findings of the safeguarding report which cited racism as a factor in this strip-search. Specifically, the report makes note of ‘adultification bias’, in which black children are perceived as older than they are. This incident demonstrates that this bias is present in Hackney.

“I am increasingly concerned by the actions of officers under your jurisdiction. In light of these developments, I am requesting an urgent meeting with you and your leadership team to discuss how vital improvements can be made.”

The Metropolitan Police has since issued an apology and admitted the incident ‘should never have happened’, and have also confirmed that the Independent Office for Police Conduct is now investigating the matter.

Det. Supt. Dan Rutland of the Met’s central East Command said: “We recognise that the findings of the safeguarding review reflect this incident should never have happened. It is truly regrettable and on behalf of the Met Police, I would like to apologise to the child concerned, her family and the wider community.”

In the meantime, two public protests were staged over the weekend outside Stoke Newington Police Station, which drew hundreds of demonstrators, to show solidarity with Child Q. The protests were organised by ‘Hackney Cop Watch’ and ‘Stand Up to Racism’ Hackney branch.