MPS ‘sorry for the trauma’ caused in strip search of ‘Child Q’

The force was responding to an update report on the incident in 2020 in which Child Q – a black girl of secondary school age – was strip searched by female MPS officers.

The MPS said it welcomed the Child Q update report and the “detailed work by the authors to both understand the progress made by the Met and to place the voice of children in such a prominent position within the findings”.

The report highlights “tentative optimism” about efforts to improve trust between the police and the community in the wake of the ‘Child Q’ scandal.

Child Q, a 15-year-old black female, had been strip searched in her secondary school. The search, which involved the exposure of Child Q’s intimate body parts – known as a ‘MTIP’ (more thorough search that exposes intimate parts) – took place without an appropriate adult present and with the knowledge that she was menstruating. Child Q’s mother was not contacted in advance.

On the day of the search, teachers believed that Child Q smelt strongly of cannabis and they suspected that she might be carrying drugs.

However, no drugs were found during either the strip search or a search of the room in which she had been waiting beforehand. Child Q was later allowed to return home where she disclosed the events to her mother.

Given these circumstances, a Local Child Safeguarding Practice Review was initiated by the City and Hackney Safeguarding Children Partnership (CHSCP). It was published in March 2022, making eight findings and 14 recommendations for improving practice.

Jim Gamble QPM, CHSCP Independent Child Safeguarding Commissioner, said: “Child Q’s experience shook the system, shocked the public and appalled most parents, but it didn’t surprise many of the young people I spoke to in Hackney.

“For them, negative interactions between many young black people and the police were commonplace, albeit this one, occurring at a school, was extreme.”

His update report published on Tuesday (June 20) covers the progress made against the original review’s 14 recommendations and evaluates a range of activity that has since been initiated.

“Whilst change beyond policy takes time, there are some positives to report,” said Mr Gamble.

“There is a tentative optimism about the efforts to build and improve relationships between the police and the community, not one child has been subject to a strip search (MTIP) in Hackney over the past 14 months and we’ve seen significant levels of good work from many organisations.

“The report is unapologetic in emphasising the voices of children, families, community networks and youth advocates.

“It reflects what they told us and highlights the lack of trust there can be in the police, in some schools and in most statutory agencies.

“Simply ignoring or minimising their concerns, as some seem tempted to do, will not deliver improvement. The community still needs to be heard and changes still need to be made.”

He added: “In my opinion, whilst perhaps understandable thinking in the immediate aftermath of Child Q, the removal of police from schools is neither appropriate nor what is needed.”

The report makes an additional 13 recommendations.

In particular, it says where, in the exceptional circumstances that police officers have reasonable grounds to undertake an MTIP search of a child, they should consider arresting the child and conducting the search in a police station.

This will ensure supervision takes place, authorisation is confirmed, an appropriate adult or parent/carer is present and monitoring of the process is stringently applied, the report says.

It also recommends that the MPS should develop and introduce mechanisms that facilitate the engagement of local representatives in the recruitment processes for BCU Commanders across London.

The MPS had voluntarily referred the incident involving Child Q to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) in May 2021 after receiving complaints. The IOPC is currently investigating the incident and the force said it “awaits their findings”.

Detective Chief Superintendent James Conway, who leads policing in Hackney and Tower Hamlets, said: “The experience of Child Q should never have happened and I am sorry for the trauma that we caused her, and I am also sorry it took an event like this to highlight that we were overusing this type of strip search on children.

“The report correctly identifies the need for a child centred approach and the crucial need for police to be careful and proportionate in the use of all of our powers.

“This is even more important for the most intrusive searches, such as these type of strip searches, and especially when involving children. We should not have needed an incident such as Child Q to check our approach.

“While we have made notable practical improvements, such as requiring more senior levels of authorisation, what happened to Child Q illustrates why public scrutiny is so crucial in checking how we use our powers.

“We should never tire of testing that we are policing with the consent of the public.”

Responding to the Child Q update report, the MPS said it has been “working hard to listen to what our communities and partners have told us about this incident”.

It added in a statement: “We wish these types of searches were not necessary but sadly we know there are children in London being exploited to carry drugs and weapons for others, as well as being involved in criminality.

“Work locally and across the Met has significantly reduced the use of this type of search, as the report identifies. There is, of course, more to do and we will continue our conversations with communities, and particularly young people, to ensure our policing response reflects their needs, whilst meeting public safety.

“The report talks in detail about the experiences of black children in East London. We are absolutely committed to turning the Met around to be anti-discrimination in every way. We are aware the outcomes of our efforts can impact different communities and individuals in a disproportionate way and will keep listening to better understand their lived experiences to shape how we police.

“We will now take some time to consider the update report and its findings and recommendations.”