The Metropolitan Police are facing backlash – once again – over the treatment of a Black schoolgirl who was strip-searched whilst on her period after teachers wrongly accused her of possessing cannabis.
The incident, which occurred in Hackney in 2020, came to light following a safeguarding review. Teachers at the time told investigators they believed the teenager had drugs in her possession because she smelt of cannabis. As such, two female officers took her to the school's medical room where she was strip-searched without any teachers or an appropriate adult present.
According to the report, the teen's intimate body parts were exposed and she was ordered to remove her sanitary towel. No drugs were found.
Speaking of the traumatic incident through a statement released today, the teen – who is being referred to as Child Q – said: "Someone walked into the school, where I was supposed to feel safe, took me away from the people who were supposed to protect me and stripped me naked, while on my period."
She continued, "I can’t go a single day without wanting to scream, shout, cry or just give up. I don’t know if I’m going to feel normal again. But I do know this can’t happen to anyone else, ever again."
The report concluded that the officers' behaviour was unjustified, citing that racism was "likely" to have been a factor and that her experience was "unlikely to have been the same" had she not been Black, per the BBC. The report also found that the impact on the teenager has been "profound".
Everyone's clicking on...
An investigation into the incident is now being carried out by The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). In response to the report, Detective Superintendent 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."
He went on, "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."
Since the review was published, outraged members of the public have taken to social media to condemn the Metropolitan Police's behaviour, and that of the teachers at the girl's school.
"Nothing has shaken me in a while like reading the details of the Child Q case," someone wrote on Twitter. "One of the most horrific cases of police and sexual violence I have read - enabled by a school that is meant to protect her, and the state that wants to embolden these invasive powers."
"The way Child Q was treated is also part of the adultification of Black girls," another person tweeted. "Their childhoods yanked away by a society that refuses us tenderness."
"The anger that the UK black community feels regarding Child Q is justified. This is absolutely disgusting on another level," another person wrote. "Her teachers failed her. The police failed her. She was failed by so many layers of authority. Those who were meant to protect her traumatised her."
The report made 14 recommendations to the Metropolitan Police, with Hackney Council's mayor requesting a progress report on this within the next year.
We hope that, amidst the report coming out, Child Q is getting the care and support she needs after both such a traumatic experience and now being (although anonymous) in the public eye.
