Statement on Child Q misconduct hearing

Following an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), two Met officers involved in a strip search of a 15-year-old girl, known as Child Q, have been found to have committed gross misconduct, and a third officer has been found to have committed misconduct.

“At the heart of this case was a 15 year-old girl who was treated in a way that was unjustifiable, degrading and humiliating. Those who should have had her safety and wellbeing foremost in their thoughts failed to give her the support and protection she needed.

“We have always been of the opinion that this incident was a result of racism or unconscious bias and adultification, with a young girl subjected to completely unacceptable treatment because of her race. 

“Despite the police disciplinary panel finding it not proven that the officers involved were motivated by racial or unconscious bias, we welcome the finding that the search was unnecessary, inappropriate and disproportionate. It also raises serious questions around anti-racist training, processes and accountability within the police, and the need to strengthen national legislation on strip searching.

“Our first thoughts are with the person affected – who is now a young woman – and her family, who have had to relive the trauma of this incident while the hearing took place. We know that the incident will have a long-lasting impact, and we need to give her and her family time and space to come to terms with the outcome.

“We also know that this case has had a wider impact within the community, particularly among people from Black and Global Majority backgrounds.

“Since this incident, we have worked closely with the police, schools and our partners. This includes establishing the Hackney Community Police Scrutiny Panel alongside the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC), which gives volunteer community members the chance to hold the police to account for their use of police powers such as stop and search, handcuffing, use of tasers and intimate searches.

“We now await publication of the sanctions the officers will face and the IOPC’s investigation report, which will inform our continued efforts to actively reverse racism, unconscious bias and adultification, and ensure an incident like this never happens again.”

Caroline Woodley, Mayor of Hackney, and Cllr Susan Fajana Thomas, Cabinet Member for  Community Safety and Regulatory Services