Child Q: Hackney Mayor calls on Home Secretary to take action over strip-searching of children

The Home Secretary has been urged to ensure that the “horrifying” strip search of a Black teenager at her school never happens again.

Hackney’s mayor Philip Glanville wrote to Priti Patel calling for an urgent review of policing guidelines and practices around the strip-searching of children “to ensure that no child endures the humiliating
experience” of Child Q  who was strip-searched in her school’s medical room, without a responsible adult present.

Her mother knew nothing about what happened until her distressed daughter came home.

Mayor Glanville, deputy mayor Anntoinette  Bramble and Susan Fajana-Thomas  who was responsibility for community safety called on the Home Secretary to review the law to ensure that no child is strip-searched without their parents or guardians being notified.

He said what happened has “traumatised many people, especially in our Black communities.”

He told the Home Secretary: “This is not something that happened in a vacuum. It is the culmination of an endemic culture of racism and adultification that is rife in establishments, structures and bodies, up and down the country.”

He said the review into what happened  “must serve as a wake-up call to leaders at every level to drive meaningful change for diverse communities across the country. In Hackney, we are taking action to embed anti-racist practice in our child safeguarding work.”

He said he was  “deeply concerned by the Metropolitan Police’s actions and its response to this case.”

Hackney’s politicians told Met Police deputy  assistant commissioner Laurence Taylor they wanted to see an action plan within the next fortnight and to discuss what the police will do to prevent another child going through such a distressing experience.

They said: “None of us are in any doubt that this terrible incident,
on the back of others, will have a further significant impact on trust and confidence in the police, which is already too low. That is why a detailed, robust and rigorous response from the police is so crucial.”

Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating what happened.

The police apologised  and said the incident should never have happened.  and Detective Superintendent Dan Rutland of the Met’s Central East Command which includes Hackney said: “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.

“It is wholly right that the actions of officers are held to scrutiny and we welcome this review which was commissioned by the statutory partnership with the support of police. We have already reminded local officers of the appropriate policies in place around carrying out searches in schools.

The  safeguarding review  said police should work with Hackney Account, a youth led project which monitors policing in the borough.

Yolanda Lear, Account research officer said: “This young woman was failed on so many different levels.”

She added: “A lot of young are heartbroken, devastated and shocked, knowing that the school is so close to home.”

“I think officers really need to hear what the community has to say and what people are feeling.

“They are uncomfortable conversations that they need to hear.”

Account is setting up community meetings and is inviting senior police officers to attend.

It said: “We have  worked with countless young people over the years who, because of their ethnicity, have been subject to ‘adultification’ by police officers and educational professionals. This means young vulnerable Black children being treated as adults and automatic criminal suspects by people who are meant to help and protect them.”

Account highlighted that strip searches of  Black children  were “not exceptional but happen regularly across the borough. “

The safeguarding review  into what happened to Child Q  highlighted that 25 children under 18, including 15 Black teenagers, were strip searched across Hackney with police found nothing  in  88% of the cases.

David Davies of Hackney NEU (National Education Union) said: “We are completely appalled by this.”

Hackney schools have been holding assemblies and talking to pupils about their concerns.

Mr Davies said: “They have  a right to feel safe at school and they need to be reassured that this will never happen again.”

He said distressed teachers have also been in touch with the union.

The NEU is issuing guidance to Hackney members “that will reiterate the importance of challenging racist and sexist practices in situations such as this, including following safeguarding procedures and good practice, working with students and their families and challenging unacceptable behaviour in such circumstances, whether by other staff, including senior managers, the police or other outside agencies. “

Mr Davies added: “We understand a lot of work has gone on with the school since this happened, including further training of staff. However, we call upon Hackney Education and on the governing bodies of all schools and academies to ensure that they continue to develop anti-racist practices and they clarify safeguarding procedures to staff.”

Hackney Stand up to Racism  called for the police officers involved to be disciplined and “expelled” from the police and said the Met “must now show zero tolerance for racism and sexism in their ranks in deeds rather than words.”

They also said Child Q’s school, Hackney Education and the governing bodies of schools and academies need to ensure “that proper anti-racist training and support is delivered to staff, to challenge these behaviours. In addition, safeguarding in schools needs to clarify procedures to all staff, and assert their duty to challenge unsafe and racist practices by police or other members of staff.”