The Metropolitan Police has been forced to apologise and pay £6,000 to the family of a mixed-race boy who was unlawfully searched and handcuffed, The Independent can reveal.
Jason*, who was 13 at the time of the incident in September 2018, was cycling home after having his hair cut with his brother and a friend.
A police patrol car “suddenly” sped towards them, prompting the boys to fear being run over, according to Jason’s mother. Two white male officers then got out of the vehicle and one of them grabbed hold of Jason, pushing and handcuffing him.
The boys were released after 10 minutes and officers insisted that neither boy had been “detained or searched” though this was later disproven.
The family complained about Jason’s treatment and four years later they finally received an apology and a settlement.
Jason’s mother, who is a serving police officer and asked not to be named, told The Independent that she believed the stop-and-search wouldn’t have happened if he was white.
“I think it was racist. If these were white boys then they wouldn’t have been stopped – but the Met won’t put their hands up to that by putting it in the apology,” Jason’s mother said.
“Even if they take the race side out of it – these are 13-year-old children and there was absolutely no safeguarding for their vulnerability at all. That was totally and utterly wrong, in my eyes.”
The Met denied there was any racist intent.
The officer searched Jason for drugs without giving him his details or the grounds for the search, the boy’s lawyer said.
As justification for the stop and search, the officers linked reports of a vehicle being broken into earlier that day with another complaint of four white youths in dark hoodies and tracksuits walking into people’s gardens, Jason’s mum said.
“Yet, here we have three Black boys in T-shirts on bikes; anybody can see that was a stop because of race,” she said.
The officer also failed to issue a written record of the search which amounts to a gross breach of the requirements of Code A of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE), enforced to prevent abuses of power.
The incident has come to light after a critical report by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) found that the Met Police is failing to adequately record stop and search grounds.
The Met’s apology letter to Jason’s family, from a chief inspector in professional standards, seen by The Independent and dated May 2022, said it was “clear that in this instance that the MPS fell well below that standard”.
“Therefore, on behalf of the MPS, I apologise to you and also to your family who were indirectly impacted.”
The apology contained no acknowledgement of the issue of race raised by Jason’s family and his perception that he was treated “aggressively” while being handcuffed.
Neither of the officers involved in the stop recorded their interactions with the children on their body-worn cameras, which were only switched on after the search happened.
But part of the incident was captured by Jason’s friend on his mobile phone and was used as evidence in the case.
“Without this recording, this [case] wouldn’t have gone anywhere. So, how many other cases like this are there where nothing’s come of it because it’s one word against the other?” Jason’s mum questioned.
Following a misconduct hearing, the officers were told to reflect upon their actions, which Jason’s mum described as a “slapped wrist”.
“Integrity for me, as a police officer, is vitally important. These officers didn’t have integrity; they knew what they were doing and didn’t have any respect for the law in which they are entrusted to carry out their duties,” Jason’s mum, who has served in the Met Police for 20 years, said.
“Policing is quite straightforward in terms of the policies and legislation under stop-and-search we have to act within. If officers can’t get simple things like that right then it raises questions about what else they’re doing wrong.
“I’ve stopped hundreds of youngsters and stop-and-search, if used correctly, is a crime deterrent.”
Black and mixed-race people are more likely to be stopped by police than their white counterparts.
It recently emerged that more than 600 children underwent “intrusive and traumatising” strip searches by the Met Police between 2018 and 2020, with Black boys disproportionately targeted.
In May, the National Police Chief’s Council and College of Policing announced a new plan setting out the changes needed for anti-racism reform in police forces in England and Wales.
More recently, new Met chief Sir Mark Rowley announced plans for a new anti-corruption unit to crack down on racism among officers and staff.
Jason’s mum welcomed the move, adding: “Most police officers are not racist and have integrity. Fortunately, now the MPS is outing racist officers as much as they possibly can, and hopefully, they’ll be left with us officers who do have integrity and respect for people, and the law.”
Solicitor Iain Gould, a specialist in claims against the police who represented Jason, told The Independent: “My client, his brother and friends were simply young boys cycling home, not doing anything untoward or suspicious.
“If the Metropolitan Police Service continue to behave in such a manner – namely stopping, assaulting and frankly terrorising youths without any proper grounds for detaining them – then the culture of police mistrust and poor community relations is bound to continue.
”We need to see change in the actions of officers on the street and not just in boardroom policy speak. Otherwise more young children will suffer the mental scars caused by abusive and authoritarian policing, further distorted by racial bias.”
A Met Police spokesperson confirmed that the incident had occurred and there had been an apology, adding: “No aspect of the allegation referenced discrimination and there was no evidence found that this was a factor.”
*The child’s name has been changed to protect his identity
