[bitontheslide]

A 14-year-old girl who was strip-searched by police was left traumatised by the incident and later tried to kill herself, her mother says.

Olivia* was handcuffed and had her underwear cut off in the presence of male officers, she added.

London's Metropolitan Police said it was investigating the incident.

It follows the case of Child Q - a 15-year-old black pupil who was strip-searched at school after she was wrongly accused of possessing drugs.

Olivia - who is mixed race - was strip-searched in December 2020, the same month as Child Q.

Olivia's mum, who we are calling Lisa to protect her daughter's anonymity, said she was given no warning that her child was going to be forcibly strip-searched.

She told Radio 4's File on 4 programme that Olivia had already spent more than 20 hours in custody.

She said Olivia had been out with some friends when they had an argument with two boys, who called the police and alleged they were the victims of an attempted knife-point robbery. She was searched by police at the scene and nothing was discovered. Olivia and her friends were then arrested.

At the time, Lisa was isolating with Covid-19, but says she spoke to the police on the phone and warned them her daughter had autism, learning difficulties and had been self-harming.

After spending more than 20 hours in custody, Olivia was discovered to be in possession of a sharpened stick for the purposes of self-harming.

Lisa says the discovery prompted six officers to forcibly strip Olivia and carry out an intimate search in the presence of male officers.

Officers then handcuffed Olivia and strip-searched her, Lisa said. "Olivia was actually on her period at the time too. And they cut off her underwear in front of these grown male officers." She added: "She was absolutely distraught."

Lisa said her daughter's experience had a devastating impact on her mental health. "She became quite reclusive," she added.

"She spent a lot of time in her room and she continued to self-harm in secret. And then a few weeks later, she attempted suicide." Olivia later appeared in court accused of possession of a bladed weapon and was found not guilty.

Her family is now bringing a civil case against the force. Lawyer Gail Hadfield Grainger, who is representing them, says there are a number of rules that must be followed when searching minors.

"The legal guardian, the person that has responsibility for that child, needs to be informed," she said. "The strip-search needs to be done in front of same-sex staff only, not same-sex staff with the opposite sex on-looking.

"And that culture is set to protect your dignity, save you from embarrassment, and to put in order exactly how these things should be done correctly."

The Met's Deputy Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor said a force investigation was looking into how appropriate the search was and how it was conducted. He told File on 4 that strip-searches helped to keep children safe while in custody.

He added: "(The) worst case scenario would be that we stop strip-searching in its entirety and a young child dies in custody because they are in possession of a knife or drugs that they use to harm themselves.

"And we have a big responsibility to people coming into our custody environment. We're responsible for their safety."

Figures obtained by the BBC have revealed police carried out more than 13,000 strip-searches of young people aged under 18 over the past five years.

The BBC sent Freedom of Information requests to 43 police forces in England and Wales, plus the British Transport Police, asking for the number of strip-searches between 2017 and 2021. However, the true number of searches is likely to be significantly higher, as only 31 of 44 forces provided data.

Separate data revealed 75% of the children who were strip-searched by the Met in custody over the past three years were from ethnically diverse backgrounds, prompting allegations of racism.

Mr Taylor defended the force's record. He said the disproportionality of young people from ethnically diverse backgrounds being searched was based on "intelligence-led policing" - both around offending rates and those falling victim to crime, including knife crime.

"It's absolutely right that police focus where that harm exists," he added.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-61523291

--------------------------------------------------------

So it was not just a one off incident

[Cherie]

I didn’t think it would be legal to strip search a minor without an appropriate adult, never mind have members of the opposite sex in the room

[ThomasC]

She should have been strip searched (she was found to be in possession of a sharpened stick), however the issue is that an appropriate adult was not informed (her mum) and that male staff were looking on.

In urgent cases where there's a risk of harm then an appropriate adult does not need to be present or it the young person does not want an appropriate adult there, but it must be recorded and an appropriate adult consulted.

As for removing her underwear, this is justifiable as she could use this to cause herself further harm and there might be things secreted.

[ThomasC]

Originally Posted by Cherie

I didn’t think it would be legal to strip search a minor without an appropriate adult, never mind have members of the opposite sex in the room

It's not legal.

Threshold for not having an appropriate adult present is either because they refuse or the risk of danger justifies not having one present, but should still be informed, signed and in writing

There should not be opposite sex in the room during a minor's strip search

[bitontheslide]

i think the point is that when the first case was reported, it was implied that it was a very rare thing to happen, but the reality is there have been 13,000 strip searches of minors in the last 5 years

[arista]

[was handcuffed and had her underwear cut off in
the presence of male officers, she added.]


This was so wrong

[Oliver_W]

I mean, it's right that she was apprehended (suspicion of an attempted knife-point robbery, was found to have a sharpened stick) but it's ridiculous she was strip searched without her mum present, let alone in front of male officers.

I hope her family sues.

[Nicky91]

ugh shut up attention seeking girl and go work

[ThomasC]

Originally Posted by Nicky91

ugh shut up attention seeking girl and go work

She's 14, has autism, learning difficulties and mental health issues.

[Zizu]

Originally Posted by Cherie

I didn’t think it would be legal to strip search a minor without an appropriate adult, never mind have members of the opposite sex in the room

Agreed ... this is an incredible incident if it’s been reported accurately


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[arista]

Originally Posted by ThomasC

She's 14, has autism, learning difficulties and mental health issues.

That makes it even worse