The case of a fifteen-year-old girl who was strip-searched at Walworth Police Station will now be referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
Police yesterday told the News that the child was strip searched at the station on Manor Place, Walworth, on December 11, 2020.
This was just eight days after Child Q, also fifteen, was strip-searched at a Hackney school, on December 3 2020.
Following a complaint, the police referred the Walworth incident to the IOPC on Tuesday May 24 2022.
Police say they have received notification of a potential civil claim so cannot comment further on the specifics of the case.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor said: “This case will of course be concerning to Londoners and that is why we have referred it to the IOPC for their independent oversight.
“We recognise the considerable impact strip searches can have on young people and the distress they can cause.
“We’re working hard to ensure we take a ‘safeguarding first’ approach. This means we must always consider whether the child being searched could be a vulnerable victim of exploitation by others involved in gangs, County Lines and drug dealing or if they might be concealing weapons as they are at risk of self-harm.
“Strip search is an important tool for us but we must ensure children subject to intrusive searches are dealt with appropriately and respectfully and we follow all procedures correctly.”
In December 2020, a 15-year-old girl, now known as Child Q, was strip searched, while menstruating, by police at her East London school after teachers thought they could smell cannabis on her.
In the Local Child Safeguarding Practice Review prepared by City & Hackney Safeguarding Children Partnership, the child’s family say she was made to bend over, spread her legs, and use her hands to spread her buttocks while coughing.
In that same report, the family say that, since the search, which they say was racially motivated, she self-harms, is traumatised, and requires therapy.
Since the safeguarding review into the search involving Child Q, the police say they have ensured their officers and staff have a refreshed understanding of the policy for conducting a ‘further search’.
They have also given officers advice around dealing with schools, ensuring that children are treated as children and considering safeguarding for those under eighteen.