London mayor ‘concerned’ over police strip-searches of children

• Seven more referrals to police watchdog involving strip searches of children.
• London Mayor Sadiq Khan expresses “extreme concern” over the cases.
• The referrals relate to incidents between December 2019 and March 2022.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan expressed “extreme concern” on Friday after the Metropolitan Police force revealed seven more referrals to the police watchdog involving strip searches of children.

The announcement came a day after the same oversight body said it would reinvestigate the Met’s botched initial handling of a serial killer’s murders of four young men.

A string of incidents involving its officers has rocked the London force in recent years, including last year’s conviction of a diplomatic protection squad member for kidnap, rape, and murder.

Read More: London mayor pushed to abolish the ULEZ tax during strikes

A crisis of public confidence in the police saw Cressida Dick resign as commissioner in February. She has not yet been replaced.

The voluntary referrals relate to incidents between December 2019 and March 2022, where children aged 14 to 17 were strip-searched by officers in custody or subject to “more intimate searches outside custody,” according to the force.

The Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) have returned two of the referrals to the force to investigate themselves.

The latest referrals come after the watchdog was sent the cases of two teenage girls, known as “Child Q” and “Olivia”, who were strip-searched by officers while they were menstruating.

“It is shocking and deeply disturbing that so many cases of children being strip-searched by the police have been referred to the IOPC,” said a spokesman for Khan.

“The mayor is extremely concerned by these cases and the Met have been asked by City Hall to conduct a review of all strip searches of children to ensure lessons are learnt.”

“Child Q” was strip-searched by female officers in 2020 after being wrongly suspected of carrying cannabis, despite them being aware she was menstruating.

Read More: London Mayor Sadiq Khan declares ‘major incident’ in UK

“Olivia”, a 15 year old with autism, was searched in front of male officers after being accused of robbery. The BBC reported that she later tried to kill herself.

Scotland Yard stated that procedures had changed, with officers now required to obtain permission from an inspector and speak with a supervisor before conducting such a search.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor stated that the police department was aware of the public’s concerns about the cases and the impact such action would have on young people.