Child Q: Met Police changes strip-search policy in two London boroughs - BBC News
A strip-search of any child in two London boroughs will need approval from an inspector.
The strip search of Child Q led to a wave of protests across east London

A strip-search of any child in two London boroughs will need approval from an inspector in the wake of the Child Q controversy, the Met Police says.

A 15-year-old girl is suing the school and the Met after a safeguarding report found the strip-search in Hackney, east London, was unjustified and racism was "likely" to have been a factor.

No appropriate adult was present when she was strip-searched in 2020.

The pilot scheme is being rolled out in Hackney and neighbouring Tower Hamlets.

Currently, a strip-search requires a conversation with a supervisor and the presence of an appropriate adult.

Last week, police admitted the two officers who carried out the search had been moved from public-facing roles to desk duties, 15 months after the incident.

The report said the girl was taken out of an exam to the school's medical room and strip-searched by officers who were looking for cannabis, while teachers remained outside.

No other adult was present, her parents were not contacted and no drugs were found.

The Met Police's treatment of the pupil has provoked anger

She was subjected to what police call an MTIP search, or 'More Thorough search where Intimate Parts are exposed', and the review said she was made to take off her sanitary towel.

The Met has admitted the officers' actions were "regrettable" and it "should never have happened" and the police watchdog is looking into the incident.

In a letter to Scotland Yard, Mark Carroll, the chief executive of Hackney Council, welcomed a commitment to "adultification training" locally in the hope that it is rolled out across the wider force.

Adultification is where adults perceive black children as being older than they are.

Mr Carroll wrote: "The issues of racism, and trust and confidence in policing amongst our black and global majority residents go back, as you note, many many years.

This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Hackney Council This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.

"Action to date has had very little impact, and we all agree that trust and confidence remains too low, particularly in Hackney."

Boris Johnson has described reports of the strip-search were "deeply distressing and deeply concerning".

Follow BBC London on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hellobbclondon@bbc.co.uk

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.