Met Police apologises after black teenage girl strip-searched at Hackney school
A 15-year-old black girl who was strip-searched at school in Hackney whilst she had her period spoke of the devastating impact of the humiliating search which left her struggling to “feel safe again”.
The teenager was searched by police at her school and no appropriate adult was present to support her as required by law.
She said police arrived at school “where I was supposed to feel safe” and it affected her every day.
Police were called to a Hackney school in December 2020 by staff who were concerned that the pupil smelled of cannabis. They had already searched her bag, blazer and scarf and did not find anything.
Two female officers strip-searched the teenager in the school’s medical room but did not find any drugs.
What happened triggered a Local Child Safeguarding Practice Review by the City and Hackney Safeguarding Children Partnership which concluded that racism, “whether deliberate or not”, likely played a role in what happened.
The review said “there was no justification” for the strip-search.
The teenager, known as Child Q, told the review she was taken away from people “who were supposed to protect me” and strip-searched whilst on her period.
She said: “On top of preparing for the most important exams of my life, I can’t go a single day without wanting to scream, shout, cry or just give up.”
The student said it had a devastating effect on her.
“I feel like I’m locked in a box and no one can see or cares that I just want to feel safe again, my box is collapsing around me and no one wants to help.”
She added: “I don’t know if I can feel normal again. I don’t know how long it will take to repair the box. But I know it can’t happen to anyone, ever again.”
Her mother said Child Q was badly affected by what happened: “She is … not communicating with us as (she) used to, doesn’t want to leave her room, panic attacks at school, doesn’t want to be on the road, screams when sees or hears the police, and we need to reassure her.”
She told the review: “Why doesn’t my daughter deserve the same rights as every other child, is this because they think she is a young girl, with no respect for her parents or adults and no fear of consequences or because she is a black child living in a poor city area?”
The review concluded that racism “likely” influenced what happened.
It also suggested that “adultification” bias – where adults perceive black children as being older than they are – may “have a significance to the experience of Child Q”.
In 2020/21, police in Hackey conducted what are known as “further searches” on 25 people under 18 years old. Fifteeen of them (60 per cent) were black.
“Further searches” is the term used to cover strip-searches, although the categorisation does not separate out the specific types of searches that can be undertaken.
The report made a series of recommendations and called for the police to work with Account Hackney, a youth-led police monitoring group, to ensure lessons are learned.
The report, by independent child safeguarding commissioner Jim Gamble, said school staff should have challenged the police.
The most recent Ofsted inspection rated the unnamed school as “good” with “effective” safeguarding.
A member of staff told the review they have never known, and would not condone, a strip-search of a child at a school.
Hackney’s mayor, Philip Glanville, and the deputy mayor with responsibility for children’s services, Anntoinette Bramble, condemned what had happened.
In a joint statement, they said: “All aspects of this review have appalled us: the decision by police officers to strip-search a child in her school; the lack of challenge by the school toward police; the absence of requirements of police to seek parental consent in the strip-search of a child.
“But most stark – that racism is likely to have been an ‘influencing factor’ in the decision by police to undertake the strip-search. “
They added: “Child Q was subjected to humiliating, traumatising and utterly shocking treatment by police officers – actions that were wholly disproportionate to the alleged incident to which they had been called.
They said: “We want and expect better for our young people and our wider communities. It is up to all of us to challenge racism where this is seen, heard or felt – and it is incumbent on the Council to challenge partners and be a driving force of meaningful, systemic change.”
They have asked for an update later this year to check that the report’s recommendations are carried out.
“ We have carried out a lot of work with the police to build trust and confidence locally – but incidents like this only serve to undermine all that hard work and progress. The IOPC [Independent Office for Police Conduct] is carrying out an investigation, and we also await the conclusion of that report with interest.
“People from across our communities will rightly feel angry and upset at police actions towards Child Q. How many times must those from Black and global majority backgrounds put up with disprortionate actions, racial profiling – and worse? The police must act now to stop inexcusable behaviours and mindsets in order to properly serve all our diverse communities.”
Diane Abbott, MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, said it was “completely unacceptable to treat anyone like this, but especially a young girl.”
The case was referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct last May, which is still investigating.
Detective Superintendent Dan Rutland of the Metropolitan Police’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.
“It is wholly right that the actions of officers are held to scrutiny and we welcome this review which was commissioned by the statutory partnership with the support of police. We have already reminded local officers of the appropriate policies in place around carrying out searches in schools.”