The Metropolitan Police officers who strip-searched a 15-year-old black schoolgirl at a school in Hackney should be investigated for gross misconduct, Sadiq Khan has said.
The girl, known only as Child Q, has said she “can’t go a single day without wanting to scream, shout, cry or just give up” following the ordeal which saw her strip-searched by officers while on her period.
Three Met officers involved in the incident are being investigated for misconduct by the Independent Office for Police Misconduct (IOPC) but the Mayor of London has called for the severity of the investigation to be upgraded to “gross misconduct”.
A ruling of misconduct could result in a written warning.
Gross misconduct would constitute a breach of the Standards of Professional Behaviour so severe that dismissal would be justified, potentially without notice.
In an open letter sent on Thursday, Mr Khan has urged the IOPC to consider the findings of a safeguarding report which concluded that racism had a role to play in the officers’ decision to conduct a strip search.
Mr Khan said “allegations of discrimination would normally be considered at the level of gross misconduct rather than misconduct” and has called on the IOPC to confirm whether it intends to consider the case as one of gross misconduct.
He said: “As mayor I have been clear that London’s police service must have the trust and confidence of the public they serve and incidents such as those experienced by Child Q not only foster distrust in the Met but actively hamper any efforts to police by consent.
“Londoners rightly expect their police service to act with the utmost integrity at all times. In instances when standards are not met, Londoners need to trust that those charged with investigating allegations involving the police leave no stone unturned.
“This case has understandably caused widespread concern among the public and it is important that all allegations are fully investigated, and that all relevant sources of information are taken into account.”
