Latest news with #KristinaLinge
Daily Mail
10-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Met police officers who strip-searched black schoolgirl, 15, while she was on her period are guilty of gross misconduct
Two Metropolitan Police officers who strip-searched a 15-year-old black schoolgirl while she was on her period have been found guilty of gross misconduct. The incident, which took place at a school in Hackney, east London, in 2020, saw the girl, known as Child Q, searched by officers who believed she was carrying cannabis. A misconduct panel concluded that the strip search, which involved the exposure of her intimate parts, was 'disproportionate, inappropriate and unnecessary.' No drugs were found on the child. The hearing also heard how the ordeal left the schoolgirl feeling 'humiliated' and 'degraded.' Trainee Detective Constable Kristina Linge and Police Constable Rafal Szmydynski were criticised for their handling of the situation and now could face being sacked from the force. It was concluded that they failed to ensure that an appropriate adult was present during the strip search - as is required when a minor is involved - and for not seeking senior officer authorisation beforehand. They also failed to provide the girl with a copy of the search record, in direct breach of police policy and training. The misconduct panel concluded the officers did not respect the girl's rights as a child and failed to give her the protection she was entitled to under the law. A third officer, PC Victoria Wray, was also found to have committed misconduct for not questioning whether the search was proportionate or checking whether it had been properly authorised. She too breached police standards relating to duties and responsibilities, authority, respect and courtesy, and following orders and instructions. However, the panel did not find that any of the officers had breached standards relating to equality and diversity, or honesty and integrity. Crucially, it concluded there was no evidence that race was a factor in their decisions, nor that the girl had been 'adultified.' The four-week disciplinary hearing was led by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) and chaired by Met Commander Jason Prins. In 2022 the incident sparked protests on the streets where they were heard chanting 'no justice, no peace, abolish the police' and 'racist cops, out of schools'. They also held up signs reading 'no to racist police, justice for Child Q' and 'we say no to police in schools', as well as Black Lives Matter banners. They also chanted 'shame on you' at officers outside the station, footage on social media showed. A protester from Catcalls of London, an Instagram-based awareness group, wrote messages in multi-coloured chalk on the pavement, with one reading: 'Dearest Child Q, the systems designed to protect you failed you. 'We see you. We stand here for you. We are with you.' Commander Kevin Southworth said: 'The experience of Child Q should never have happened and was truly regrettable. 'We have sincerely apologised to Child Q since this incident happened. Again, I am deeply sorry to Child Q and her family for the trauma that we caused her, and the damage this incident caused to the trust and confidence black communities across London have in our officers. 'While the officers involved did not act correctly, we acknowledge there were organisational failings. Training to our officers around strip search and the type of search carried out on Child Q was inadequate, and our oversight of the power was also severely lacking. 'This left officers, often young in service or junior in rank, making difficult decisions in complex situations with little information, support or clear resources to help their decision-making. 'What happened to Child Q was a catalyst for change both for the Met and for policing nationally. 'While we should not have needed an incident such as Child Q to check our approach, it has absolutely led us to improving our processes and significantly reducing the number of these types of searches carried out. 'It's crucial we get this right to ensure the impact on young people is minimised as far as possible. 'Sadly, we know there are children in London being exploited to carry drugs and weapons for others as well as involved in criminality, so these types of searches have to remain within police powers. The work we have done since Child Q means we now have the right safeguards in place.'
The Independent
27-06-2025
- The Independent
Teenager forced to expose herself in Met Police strip search says she may ‘never feel normal again'
A woman who was strip-searched by police when she was just 15 and forced to expose her intimate parts while on her period has said she does not know if she will ever 'feel normal again'. The black schoolgirl was inappropriately searched at a school in Hackney, east London, in 2020 after she was wrongly suspected of carrying cannabis. A four-week tribunal found on Thursday that the two Metropolitan Police officers involved in the search, trainee detective constable Kristina Linge and Pc Rafal Szmydynski, were guilty of gross misconduct. They have both been dismissed without notice, while a third officer was found to have committed misconduct and given a final written warning. The victim, identified only as Child Q due to her age at the time of the incident, said she 'cannot go a single day without wanting to scream' since the incident. In a statement released via Bhatt Murphy Solicitors, she said: 'Someone walked into the school, where I was supposed to feel safe, took me away from the people who were supposed to protect me and stripped me naked, while on my period. 'I can't go a single day without wanting to scream, shout, cry or just give up. I don't know if I'm going to feel normal again. But I do know this can't happen to anyone, ever again.' The victim did not speak during the tribunal. The woman's mother, who says she attended every day of the month-long tribunal, says though she is 'relieved' that the two officers have been found guilty, she believes the Met Police 'still has a huge amount of work to do … to win back the confidence of Black Londonders'. The tribunal was told how black children were more likely to be treated as adults and less vulnerable than their white peers. But neither race nor age were found to be a factor in how Child Q was treated. Commander Kevin Southworth, head of Public Protection in the Met Police's Frontline Policing team, described the strip-search of Child Q as 'truly regrettable'. "The experience of Child Q should never have happened and was truly regrettable,' he said. "We have sincerely apologised to Child Q since this incident happened. Again, I am deeply sorry to Child Q and her family for the trauma that we caused her, and the damage this incident caused to the trust and confidence black communities across London have in our officers." The force said the schoolgirl was searched on 3 December 2020, when police were called after staff raised concerns that she smelled strongly of cannabis and may have been in possession of drugs. Two female officers conducted a more thorough search of the girl, which exposed intimate parts, in the medical room at the school, according to police, but no appropriate adult was present. No drugs were found. The Children's Commissioner's latest report revealed that a child was strip searched every 14 hours between January 2018 and June 2023, with official data suggesting an appropriate adult was not present in 45 per cent of searches. Lynn Perry, chief executive of children's charity Barnardo's, said: 'It's deeply worrying that strip searching children is so common, so frequently done without proper safeguarding, and that Black children are four times more likely to be strip searched than children from other backgrounds. 'It's essential that policing is done with respect and safety, and that children and young people can trust the criminal justice system.'
South Wales Guardian
27-06-2025
- South Wales Guardian
‘I don't know if I'm going to feel normal again' Child Q says over strip search
The woman, known as Child Q, was 15 years old and on her period when she was searched at school by officers in Hackney, east London on in December 3 2020 On Thursday, a disciplinary panel found Pc Kristina Linge and Pc Rafal Szmydynski had committed gross misconduct during the 'disproportionate' and 'humiliating' incident, and the officers were dismissed from the force without notice. The 'traumatic' search involved the removal of Child Q's clothing, including her underwear, her bending over and having to expose intimate parts of her body, the police disciplinary panel heard. In a family statement released by Bhatt Murphy Solicitors after the hearing, Child Q said: 'Someone walked into the school, where I was supposed to feel safe, took me away from the people who were supposed to protect me and stripped me naked, while on my period. 'I can't go a single day without wanting to scream, shout, cry or just give up. 'I don't know if I'm going to feel normal again. But I do know this can't happen to anyone, ever again.' Child Q's mother said the Metropolitan Police has a 'huge amount' of work to do if they are to win back the confidence of black Londoners. In the statement, she said: 'Professionals wrongly treated my daughter as an adult and as a criminal, and she is a changed person as a result. 'Was it because of her skin? Her hair? Why her? 'After waiting more than four years I have come every day to the gross misconduct hearing for answers, and although I am relieved that two of the officers have been fired, I believe that the Metropolitan Police still has a huge amount of work to do if they are to win back the confidence of black Londoners.' The tribunal heard authorisation was not sought for the intimate search, which left Child Q feeling 'demeaned' and 'physically violated'. An appropriate adult was not present, a key safeguard of a child's rights, and the girl's mother was not told of the situation. A third officer – Pc Victoria Wray – was given a final written warning after her involvement on the day was found to amount to misconduct. She was a 24-year-old probationary officer at the time and arrived at the scene after the key decisions had been made. Panel chairman Commander Jason Prins said: 'There has been enormous harm to Child Q and significant harm to the community in trusting the police.' Earlier he had described the incident as 'a disastrous and negative interaction' between police and a black teenager, but said race had not been the reason why Child Q was treated so badly. The search was 'disproportionate, inappropriate and unnecessary', and it was 'humiliating' for the child and made her feel 'degraded'. Commander Prins said 'this is a case where officers adopted a simplistic approach' to a sensitive matter and they did not follow the training they were given. Authorisation was not sought and the situation 'cried out for advice and input', he added. Child Q did not give evidence at the four-week hearing 'because of the psychological effects that this strip search has had on her', the panel heard. Outrage over Child Q's treatment led to protests outside Stoke Newington police station in north London, after a safeguarding review found she had arrived at school for a mock exam and was taken to the medical room to be strip-searched while teachers remained outside. After the misconduct panel finding, Amanda Rowe, director of the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which brought the case, said of the officers: 'Their decision to strip-search a 15-year-old at school on suspicion of a small amount of cannabis was completely disproportionate. 'They failed to follow the policies that exist to ensure that children in these situations have appropriate protective measures in place.' Teachers had already searched Child Q's blazer, shoes and school bag, and no drugs were found. The school's safeguarding deputy had called police, amid fears Child Q could have been carrying drugs for someone, being exploited or groomed in the community, which meant it was a safeguarding issue for her and other school pupils. Pc Szmydynski took a 'leading role' in the actions that day, including calling for a second female officer to attend, in line with a more intimate search taking place. Pc Linge told Child Q she would be arrested if she did not consent to being searched. Pc Szmydynski was 39 and had more than 13 years policing experience at the time of the search, after becoming a police community support officer in 2007 and a constable in November 2014. Pc Linge was 41 and had joined the force in August 2018. Child Q told Pcs Linge and Wray, who searched her, that she was menstruating, but the search continued, during which her sanitary pad was exposed. When no drugs were found after the strip search, Child Q's hair was also scoured. With no adult present, the teenager was alone and had no help during her conversations with police, or when the decision was made to perform a strip search. No consideration was given as to whether the search could have been moved to Child Q's home, a police station or if it needed to happen at all, according to Commander Prins. It was suggested the police felt the safeguarding deputy, who had accepted in her evidence to feeling 'Child Q was stoned', was acting as the appropriate adult. But Commander Prins added: 'Child Q's mother was a strong choice to be an appropriate adult and, equally, a member of staff who had not been involved in the incident.' The hearing was also told that Metropolitan Police officers get no further updates on stop and search after initial training, and the training on conducting searches in schools was described as 'insufficient'. After the hearing, Metropolitan Police Commander Kevin Southworth told the PA news agency: 'I think we should start by offering our sincerest and deepest apologies again to Child Q for what happened that day and also to her family, her friends, the community, and everyone affected by this terrible incident. 'We understand the distress it must've caused within the community and on Child Q herself and hopefully we can reassure people that we've transformed our approach to stop and search since this time in order to make sure that something like this never happens again.' He had also said: 'While the officers involved did not act correctly, we acknowledge there were organisational failings. 'Training to our officers around strip-search and the type of search carried out on Child Q was inadequate, and our oversight of the power was also severely lacking. 'This left officers, often young in service or junior in rank, making difficult decisions in complex situations with little information, support, or clear resources to help their decision-making.'
Malay Mail
27-06-2025
- Malay Mail
UK police officers sacked for ‘humiliating' strip search of 15-year-old schoolgirl
LONDON, June 27 — Two UK police officers were dismissed on Thursday after a disciplinary hearing ruled they had committed gross misconduct during the 'humiliating' strip search of a 15-year-old schoolgirl wrongly suspected of possessing cannabis. Officers searched 'Child Q' at her school in Hackney, east London, in December 2020, after teachers suspected her of carrying cannabis. She was made to remove her underwear and expose intimate body parts while on her period, the four-week hearing was told. Commander Jason Prins, chairman of the misconduct panel, said race was not a factor in the way Child Q, who is black, was treated. But the disciplinary hearing found that officers Kristina Linge and Rafal Szmydynski had committed gross misconduct, while fellow officer Victoria Wray's actions amounted to misconduct. Linge and Szmydynski were both dismissed while the panel gave Wray a final written warning. The hearing was earlier told that an appropriate adult was not present during the search and her mother was not informed. The search was 'humiliating... disproportionate, inappropriate and unnecessary', leaving her feeling 'degraded,' Prins said. Child Q did not give evidence due to the 'psychological effects that this strip search has had on her', the panel heard. Following public condemnation of the incident, the UK government announced new rules in 2024 that would require parents and guardians to be informed when their child is strip searched by police. — AFP
Rhyl Journal
27-06-2025
- Rhyl Journal
‘I don't know if I'm going to feel normal again' Child Q says over strip search
The woman, known as Child Q, was 15 years old and on her period when she was searched at school by officers in Hackney, east London on in December 3 2020 On Thursday, a disciplinary panel found Pc Kristina Linge and Pc Rafal Szmydynski had committed gross misconduct during the 'disproportionate' and 'humiliating' incident, and the officers were dismissed from the force without notice. The 'traumatic' search involved the removal of Child Q's clothing, including her underwear, her bending over and having to expose intimate parts of her body, the police disciplinary panel heard. In a family statement released by Bhatt Murphy Solicitors after the hearing, Child Q said: 'Someone walked into the school, where I was supposed to feel safe, took me away from the people who were supposed to protect me and stripped me naked, while on my period. 'I can't go a single day without wanting to scream, shout, cry or just give up. 'I don't know if I'm going to feel normal again. But I do know this can't happen to anyone, ever again.' Child Q's mother said the Metropolitan Police has a 'huge amount' of work to do if they are to win back the confidence of black Londoners. In the statement, she said: 'Professionals wrongly treated my daughter as an adult and as a criminal, and she is a changed person as a result. 'Was it because of her skin? Her hair? Why her? 'After waiting more than four years I have come every day to the gross misconduct hearing for answers, and although I am relieved that two of the officers have been fired, I believe that the Metropolitan Police still has a huge amount of work to do if they are to win back the confidence of black Londoners.' The tribunal heard authorisation was not sought for the intimate search, which left Child Q feeling 'demeaned' and 'physically violated'. An appropriate adult was not present, a key safeguard of a child's rights, and the girl's mother was not told of the situation. A third officer – Pc Victoria Wray – was given a final written warning after her involvement on the day was found to amount to misconduct. She was a 24-year-old probationary officer at the time and arrived at the scene after the key decisions had been made. Panel chairman Commander Jason Prins said: 'There has been enormous harm to Child Q and significant harm to the community in trusting the police.' Earlier he had described the incident as 'a disastrous and negative interaction' between police and a black teenager, but said race had not been the reason why Child Q was treated so badly. The search was 'disproportionate, inappropriate and unnecessary', and it was 'humiliating' for the child and made her feel 'degraded'. Commander Prins said 'this is a case where officers adopted a simplistic approach' to a sensitive matter and they did not follow the training they were given. Authorisation was not sought and the situation 'cried out for advice and input', he added. Child Q did not give evidence at the four-week hearing 'because of the psychological effects that this strip search has had on her', the panel heard. Outrage over Child Q's treatment led to protests outside Stoke Newington police station in north London, after a safeguarding review found she had arrived at school for a mock exam and was taken to the medical room to be strip-searched while teachers remained outside. After the misconduct panel finding, Amanda Rowe, director of the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which brought the case, said of the officers: 'Their decision to strip-search a 15-year-old at school on suspicion of a small amount of cannabis was completely disproportionate. 'They failed to follow the policies that exist to ensure that children in these situations have appropriate protective measures in place.' Teachers had already searched Child Q's blazer, shoes and school bag, and no drugs were found. The school's safeguarding deputy had called police, amid fears Child Q could have been carrying drugs for someone, being exploited or groomed in the community, which meant it was a safeguarding issue for her and other school pupils. Pc Szmydynski took a 'leading role' in the actions that day, including calling for a second female officer to attend, in line with a more intimate search taking place. Pc Linge told Child Q she would be arrested if she did not consent to being searched. Pc Szmydynski was 39 and had more than 13 years policing experience at the time of the search, after becoming a police community support officer in 2007 and a constable in November 2014. Pc Linge was 41 and had joined the force in August 2018. Child Q told Pcs Linge and Wray, who searched her, that she was menstruating, but the search continued, during which her sanitary pad was exposed. When no drugs were found after the strip search, Child Q's hair was also scoured. With no adult present, the teenager was alone and had no help during her conversations with police, or when the decision was made to perform a strip search. No consideration was given as to whether the search could have been moved to Child Q's home, a police station or if it needed to happen at all, according to Commander Prins. It was suggested the police felt the safeguarding deputy, who had accepted in her evidence to feeling 'Child Q was stoned', was acting as the appropriate adult. But Commander Prins added: 'Child Q's mother was a strong choice to be an appropriate adult and, equally, a member of staff who had not been involved in the incident.' The hearing was also told that Metropolitan Police officers get no further updates on stop and search after initial training, and the training on conducting searches in schools was described as 'insufficient'. After the hearing, Metropolitan Police Commander Kevin Southworth told the PA news agency: 'I think we should start by offering our sincerest and deepest apologies again to Child Q for what happened that day and also to her family, her friends, the community, and everyone affected by this terrible incident. 'We understand the distress it must've caused within the community and on Child Q herself and hopefully we can reassure people that we've transformed our approach to stop and search since this time in order to make sure that something like this never happens again.' He had also said: 'While the officers involved did not act correctly, we acknowledge there were organisational failings. 'Training to our officers around strip-search and the type of search carried out on Child Q was inadequate, and our oversight of the power was also severely lacking. 'This left officers, often young in service or junior in rank, making difficult decisions in complex situations with little information, support, or clear resources to help their decision-making.'
