Two police officers were fired after strip-searching a teenager while she was on her period.
On Thursday, June 26, the Metropolitan Police issued a statement confirming that trainee Detective Constable Kristina Linge and PC Rafal Szmydynski had been dismissed without notice for gross misconduct following a disciplinary hearing.
A third officer, PC Victoria Wray, “received a final written warning for two years after misconduct was proven,” the release stated.
On December 3, 2020, police strip-searched a 15-year-old girl, known as child Q in the media, at her school in Hackney, London.
This occurred after she was suspected of possessing cannabis.
“Two female officers conducted a more thorough search of the girl, which exposed intimate parts, in the medical room at the school,” the release added, noting that no drugs were discovered.
The student was having her period at the time, according to the BBC.
“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,” Child Q said in a statement released through Bhatt Murphy Solicitors, according to the outlet.
She continued, “I can’t go a day without wanting to scream, shout, cry, or give up. I’m not sure if I’ll feel normal again. But I know this will never happen to anyone again.”
The BBC reports that during the hearing, the search was described as humiliating and degrading.
According to the outlet, her mother said in a statement, “Professionals wrongly treated my daughter as an adult and as a criminal, and she is a changed person as a result. Was it due to her skin? Her hair? “Why her?”
“After waiting more than four years I have come every day to the gross misconduct hearing for answers and although I am relieved that two of the officers have been fired I believe that the Metropolitan Police still has a huge amount of work to do if they are to win back the confidence of Black Londoners,” she told the audience.
According to the outlet, Panel chair Cdr Jason Prins described the officers’ actions as “improper and conducted without an appropriate adult”.
“The potential effect of a 15-year-old going through puberty had not been considered,” he informed me.
According to a Metropolitan Police statement, the hearing determined that Child Q’s race had no bearing on the officer’s actions, “nor that she was subject to adultification.”
However, the BBC reported that, while race was not a factor, the panel believed that Black people were more likely to be stopped and searched by police.
In a statement, Commander Kevin Southworth apologized on behalf of the Metropolitan Police.
“The experience of Child Q should never have happened and was truly regrettable,” Southworth told the media.
“We have sincerely apologised to Child Q since the incident occurred,” the commander said. “Again, I am deeply sorry to Child Q and her family for the trauma that we caused her, and the damage this incident caused to the trust and confidence Black communities across London have in our officers.”
He went on, “While the officers involved did not act appropriately, we acknowledge that there were organizational flaws. Our officers received insufficient training in strip searches and the type of search conducted on Child Q, and our oversight of the power was severely lacking.”
“This left officers, often young in service or junior in rank, making difficult decisions in complex situations with little information, support or clear resources to help their decision-making,” according to the statement. “What happened to Child Q was a catalyst for change both for the Met and for policing nationally.”