The Independent Office of Police Conduct has investigated three police officers for misconduct; as a black teenager who was strip-searched by Metropolitan Police officers at school is suing.
According to report, the incident happened on 3 December 2020, but only came to light this month in a safeguarding report.
Fifteen-year-old schoolgirl, known as Child Q, will also be taking civil action against her school over the incident, according to law firm Bhatt Murphy.
It comes as the youngster released a statement thanking people for their support, saying: "I know I am not alone."
It revealed that police officers
had strip-searched the girl at her school, without another adult present and in
the knowledge that she was on her period.
Her lawyer, Chanel Dolcy, said
Child Q "seeks to hold both institutions to account including through
cast-iron commitments to ensure this never happens again".
The case has sparked outrage from politicians, campaigners, and members of the public since it emerged.
Scotland Yard said in a statement
that school staff had called police after they became concerned the girl
"smelled strongly of cannabis and may have been in possession of
drugs".
The force said the child's bag and clothing were both searched by the school, and two female officers conducted a further search, where no drugs were found.
The Local Child Safeguarding Practice Review, conducted by City and Hackney Safeguarding Children Partnership, found the strip search should never have happened, was unjustified, and racism "was likely to have been an influencing factor".
The review concluded that the
impact on Child Q was "profound" and the repercussions "obvious
and ongoing".
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan shared his "dismay and disgust" and campaigner Patrick Vernon said "we need full accountability and criminal prosecutions".
Scotland Yard has since apologised,
saying the incident "should never have happened".
No comments:
Post a Comment