The case of Child Q – a 15-year-old black schoolgirl, who was investigated by police while on a period of suspicion of carrying cannabis – sparked outrage and further pressure on the battling Metropolitan Police. Her family is suing her power and school for the incident, which happened in December 2020. Now the force says it is launching a pilot at Hackney and the Hamlets Towers to ask an inspector for approval before conducting a film search. This will ensure “proper oversight of such intervention,” said Deputy Assistant Commissioner Lawrence Taylor. The pilot will be tested in the two north-east boroughs of London before the force considers extending it to all of London. Image: Protesters march from Stoke Newington Police Station to Hackney Town Hall What happened in the case of Child Q? The investigation of Child Q, by female officers of the Metropolitan Police, was carried out without the presence of another adult and knowing that she was menstruating, a custody report was found. A review of the safeguarding practice concluded that strip research was unwarranted and that racism “was likely to be a factor of influence”. The Independent Police Behavior Office is completing an investigation into the misconduct of three police officers, which is completing its report. Scotland Yard apologized and said the incident “should never have happened”. Deputies expressed outrage and called for immediate action following the revelation of the strip investigation, and Police Secretary Kit Malthouse acknowledged that the public had a right to expect higher standards from the force. He provoked strong reactions from politicians, including Hackney Labor MP Diane Abbott, who said: “Everybody thinks ‘she could be my daughter’.
