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Getty Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\nTwo Metropolitan Police officers who conducted the “humiliating” strip-search of a 15-year-old schoolgirl committed gross misconduct, a panel has found.<\/p>\n The case was proven against trainee Det Con Kristina Linge and PC Rafal Szmydynski, while PC Victoria Wray’s actions were deemed to be misconduct, after the girl – known as Child Q – was searched at her school in Hackney, east London, in December 2020.<\/p>\n The black schoolgirl, who was wrongly suspected of possessing cannabis, was on her period and forced to expose her intimate parts while no appropriate adult was present.<\/p>\n The panel heard that black schoolchildren were more likely to be treated as older and less vulnerable than their white peers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Cdr Kevin Southworth said in a statement: “The experience of Child Q should never have happened and was truly regrettable.<\/p>\n “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.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n During the hearing, the search was described as unjustified, inappropriate, disproportionate humiliating and degrading.<\/p>\n Panel chair Cdr Jason Prins said the search “was improper and conducted without an appropriate adult”.<\/p>\n He added that Child Q’s position as a “vulnerable or a potentially exploited child was not adequately considered”.<\/p>\n “The potential effect of a 15-year-old going through puberty had not been considered,” he said.<\/p>\n Child Q felt “demeaned” and “physically violated” and did not give evidence at the four-week hearing because of the psychological effects the strip-search had on her, the panel heard.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The panel heard that the officers failed to get authorisation at sergeant level or higher before they took action, which went against police policy.<\/p>\n It was also alleged that no adequate concern was given to Child Q’s age and sex, especially after she removed her sanitary towel.<\/p>\n The Independent Office for Police Conduct said the decision to strip-search Child Q on suspicion of possessing a small amount of cannabis was “completely disproportionate”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The panel heard that black people were disproportionately more likely to be stopped and searched by police.<\/p>\n However, the panel did not accept an “inference” that the girl’s race caused “less favourable treatment”.<\/p>\n Details of Child Q’s case were released in a safeguarding report in 2022, which said the search was unjustified and that racism was likely to have been a factor.<\/p>\n It led to widespread protests and calls for urgent action from the government.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Teacher Tanya Obeng, who took part in one of the demonstrations in Hackney about the strip-search, said many black people did not trust the police.<\/p>\n “There’s a level of fear and I think for Caucasians, there’s a level of safety. That is the disparity,” she said.<\/p>\n Reacting to the panel’s findings, Prof Louise Owusu-Kwarteng, who teaches applied sociology at the University of Greenwich, said black children were often unfairly labelled at school.<\/p>\n “It was almost like this escalation, automatically assuming that she had done something wrong without doing the due process,” she said.<\/p>\n Sharon Adams, from Hackney, has a young daughter and still feels deeply upset by the way Child Q was treated.<\/p>\n “They already had that perception of her and no matter what she would have said it just went out the window. She didn’t have a voice in that moment,” Ms Adams said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Cdr Southworth said in his statement that the force acknowledged there were organisational failings in the search of the girl.<\/p>\n “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,” he said.<\/p>\n “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.”<\/p>\n He said the search of Child Q had been a “catalyst for change” for the force and policing nationally.<\/p>\n “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,” he added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n‘Completely disproportionate’<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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Getty Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n‘There’s a level of fear’<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
‘Catalyst for change’<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n