Met Police officers investigated over arrest of strip-searched child
Fiona Simpson
Friday, January 20, 2023
Four serving Metropolitan Police Officers are being investigated over the arrest and detention of a child who was strip-searched, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has confirmed.
The IOPC said, in a statement, that a police sergeant and three constables have been served notices "in relation to the arrest and detention of the child, who was strip-searched by officers".
It added: “The serving of misconduct notices does not necessarily mean disciplinary proceedings will follow.”
The investigation relates to a referral received by the IOPC in May 2022, when the police watchdog received a number of referrals in the wake of the Child Q case which saw a 15-year-old black girl strip-searched by Met Police officers at school while she was on her period.
A previous analysis of Met Police data, conducted by children’s commissioner for England Dame Rachel de Souza, in August, found that 650 children were strip-searched in London between 2018 and 2020.
Some 23 per cent of these incidents did not have an appropriate adult – such as a parent, social worker or volunteer – present, even though it is mandatory under the Police and Criminal Evidence act 1984, the analysis found.
De Souza has called on police forces in England to submit regular data on the strip-searching of children.
Responding to reports on the investigation, Katharine Sacks-Jones, chief executive of charity Become, said on Twitter: "Glad action being taken against individual officers - but its not enough. 650 children faced “intrusive and traumatising” strip searches. And, to absolutely no one's surprise, black boys were disproportionately targeted. How is traumatising children acceptable police practice?"
