Strip Search of 15-Year-Old Black Girl Found to be Gross Misconduct

A police disciplinary hearing has concluded that two Metropolitan Police officers, Pc Kristina Linge and Pc Rafal Szmydynski, committed gross misconduct during the strip search of a 15-year-old black girl, known as Child Q, who was wrongly suspected of carrying cannabis at school. The search, which took place on December 3 2020, was deemed "disproportionate, inappropriate, and unnecessary" by the misconduct panel, chaired by Commander Jason Prins.

Key Takeaways:

• The strip search was conducted without an appropriate adult present, violating the child's rights.
• The child's mother was not informed of the situation, and the search continued despite the child's menstruation and assertion of physical violation.
• The misconduct panel found that Pc Szmydynski, with 13 years of policing experience, and Pc Linge, with 4 years of experience, were not influenced by subconscious bias but still committed gross misconduct.
• Child Q felt "demeaned" and "physically violated" and did not give evidence due to the psychological effects of the strip search.
• The school's safeguarding review found that Child Q had arrived at school for a mock exam and was taken to the medical room for the strip search.
• The three officers gave evidence and claimed they were not influenced by subconscious bias.
• Child Q had symptoms of anxiety consistent with PTSD after the strip search, according to her doctor's notes.
• The police disciplinary hearing ruled that Pc Victoria Wray's behavior amounted to misconduct, separate from Pc Linge and Pc Szmydynski's gross misconduct.

Statistics:

• 13 years: Pc Szmydynski's policing experience at the time of the search.
• 4 years: Pc Linge's policing experience at the time of the search.
• 15 years: The age of the girl, known as Child Q, who was subjected to the strip search.
• 39 years: Pc Szmydynski's age at the time of the search.
• 41 years: Pc Linge's age at the time of the search.
• 24 years: Pc Wray's age at the time of the search.
• 1: The number of female officers who attended the search.
• 1: The number of appropriate adults present during the search.

Sources:

• Evening Standard: "Met police officers found gross misconduct in strip search of 15-year-old black girl"
• BBC News: "Met officers found guilty of gross misconduct in strip search case"
• The Guardian: "Girl, 15, strip searched at school after being suspected of carrying cannabis"