She remembers being taken into police custody in south Wales eight years ago by officers who suspected her mother of possessing drugs.
"They didn't explain to me until we got to the police station. And they literally just said 'this is what's going to happen and we're going to do it'."
"For someone to just be so horrible and demeaning, I just thought 'well, if I'm meant to respect my elders, aren't my elders meant to respect me'?" she told BBC Radio 5 live Investigates.
"And I really didn't feel respected in that situation."
No drugs were found on Georgia, now aged 20, or her mother Karen Archer - who was never charged with an offence.
South Wales Police said officers admitted they had mistakenly carried out a strip search without an appropriate adult present and two officers had received management action.
Karen and Georgia, who live near Swansea, have since been awarded compensation for their ordeal.
Police and strip searches
- Police carrying out strip searches must be the same sex as the detainee
- There must be at least two people present other than the detainee
- Reasonable efforts should be made to secure a detainee's co-operation and minimise embarrassment
- The search should not take place in an area where people, including anyone of the opposite sex, can watch
- Detainees should not normally have to remove all their clothes at the same time
Find out more about Home Office code of practice
0 comments: