GMP's 'weapon of control': strip-searching

Dear Millers — welcome to our Monday briefing, in which we bring you a thrilling mix of audio documentaries about landscape gardeners with divine pretensions and a wellbeing walk that starts in a car park and ends in a waterfall. But before that, we break down the latest report into Greater Manchester Police, which scrutinised how the force treats women and girls and found that strip-searching was being used as a “weapon of control” by custody officers. 

Huge thanks for all your lovely tweets and comments in the past few days about our Friday and Saturday stories. Our investigation into the mystery of the £1.8m semi-detached property in Harpurhey went viral on Twitter/X, getting thousands of engagements and shares. BBC radio star Kirsty Lang called it a “good piece of reporting” which shows the problems in the UK housing market, Joely Carey, the former editorial director of the Times newspaper group, said it was “amazing investigative journalism” and an editor at Bloomberg tweeted: “I hope Manchester City Council has a Mill subscription” (they do). We’re continuing to work on this story — we think there are more details to reveal, and we think the council should be giving a fuller account of its decision-making. If you agree, please send the story to your local councillor and ask them to raise it with council officers. 

Mollie’s weekend read on the “strange death” of Levenshulme Market also inspired some great comments. “This is such a good example of the genuinely even-handed journalism that distinguishes The Mill,” commented member Michael Robinson. “I end up confident I know the whole story rather than a partisan view of it.” As Mollie wrote, the story of Levy Market looks like “another instance of the UK’s chronic tendency to mitigate (and litigate) against local communities coming together. See also: how hard it is for pubs and cafes to get pavement licences (a common practice on the continent) or how easy it is for a slightly noisy event to be shut down on the basis of a couple of complaints.” 

If you value this kind of journalism and you’re not yet a Mill member, we’d really appreciate it if you joined up now. You’ll get full access to our members-only archive, including hundreds of timeless long reads about culture, business, policy and scandal. And you’ll be allowing us to do more of this kind of work and expand our team. So far we have added 62 new members this month but we have a target of adding 125, so we’re a bit off the pace. Hit that button below. 

Treat your employees and clients to top-flight tennis at the Davis Cup

From today’s sponsor: With unrivalled drama, big names and an amazing wrap-around hospitality offer, there’s no better event for your business than a trip to the Davis Cup. Taking place at the AO Arena in September, packages include premium seating right next to the action, and complimentary drinks. There’s also a choice of tapas-style food or real luxury with a three-course lunch in the Skyline suite. Reward your employees for their hard work this year, or impress your most important clients with an unforgettable day of drama in the heart of Manchester.

To find out more about the packages, and book your business in for the best VIP tennis experience, click here.

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⛅️ This week’s weather

Our local weatherman Martin Miles says temperatures will rise this week — expect some nice summery weather.

Tuesday 🌦️ Warm with sunny spells and well-isolated showers. 21°C.

Wednesday ☀️ Dry and very warm with large amounts of sunshine. 25°C.

Thursday 🌦️ Muggy with a spell of heavy rain during the morning before a drier and brighter afternoon. 21°C.

Friday ⛅️ Mostly dry and pleasant, with a mix of sunny and cloudy periods. 21°C.

Weekend 🌤️ Predominantly dry and pleasantly warm with plenty of sunshine.

The big story: Strip-searching used as a “weapon of control” by GMP custody officers

Top line: A report into how Greater Manchester Police treats women and girls in its custody found that women were unlawfully arrested and unnecessarily strip-searched. Dame Vera Baird, who produced the report, said aspects of GMP’s culture were “clearly problematic”. The force’s chief constable, Stephen Watson, agreed, saying these “aspects” need to be “rooted and booted out.”

Context: Andy Burnham commissioned the report after Sky News spoke to three women who complained about their treatment in GMP custody. One was Zayna Iman, who obtained CCTV footage of her 40-hour detention in which she was strip searched and left face down and topless on a bed. Three hours of the footage was missing, during which time Iman claims she was sexually assaulted.

• Baird spoke with 15 people for the report, but said Iman withdrew her engagement, so her experience is not detailed.

• Iman denies this, arguing she was removed from the review because of complaints she made about the inquiry’s processes. 

Quick to criminalise: In one case covered in the report — which Baird recounted to journalists at a press conference last Thursday — a woman (alias Maria) was arrested after reporting her partner for domestic abuse. Her partner was taken to Pendleton police station and detained, but Maria, who is from outside of Manchester, needed to get house keys from him. Unable to access the station, she made multiple calls, became frustrated, and was ultimately arrested for malicious communications. The arrest was declared unlawful in Baird’s report and, she says, is an example of how police “readily criminalise traumatised women.”

Once in custody, she dropped a vape pen into her trousers, but later shook it out of the leg at an officer’s request. Nevertheless she was strip-searched “ostensibly in search of the vape she dropped out of her trousers in the police station yard.” She was made to open the lips of her vagina so police could see inside.

• There were inconsistencies in her custody record, which said there had been an authorisation for a strip search given three hours before it took place.

• In reality, the strip search was carried out as soon as custody was authorised, and the note made two hours later, in retrospect.

At Thursday’s press conference, Baird outlined how often strip searches were carried out in the name of “welfare reasons”, i.e. removing someone's clothes and replacing them with “anti-rip” garments that can’t be used for self-harm. But this practice is unnecessary, and open to abuse, Baird said. “We must stop strip searching people for welfare purposes to avoid people getting strip searched for pissing off a custody officer.” “Truly,” she said, “the worst thing you could do to somebody, if they were really suicidal, would be to forcibly take their clothes off.”

“Weapon of control”: Baird said it was hard to see the welfare being provided in the strip-search cases outlined in her report. “There is damage, of an enormous kind, to welfare — let alone to trust — by dealing with strip searching as a weapon of control, which I fear is the conclusion we are driven to.” 

• Stephen Watson, chief constable, said the force would accept all of Baird’s recommendations and that the report makes for “appalling reading”, apologising to those affected

• But he also defended the force, saying: “the vast majority of our custody staff are highly professional and committed, despite the pressures of working in such a challenging environment.”

Bottom line: Everyone who Baird spoke to who had experienced strip-searching at GMP said it had been done to humiliate them, to subjugate them, or as Baird said: “to show them who was the boss.” While the report only draws on just over a dozen cases, the behaviour highlighted was evident in every GMP station except in Bolton. However, last week a custody officer at a Bolton station was arrested on suspicion of sexual touching, misconduct and cyberflashing

Your Mill briefing

💸 Last week, Sacha Lord announced that he was stepping down as managing director of Warehouse Project and Parklife, the two giant events that cemented him as Manchester’s nightlife impresario and advisor to Andy Burnham. He said he was leaving to focus on his advisory roles, and is turning up on lists of people who could be “hospitality minister”. All this might lead you to wonder: how is the Arts Council Investigation into an application made by one of Lord’s companies going? Primary Events Solutions received over £400,000 despite making multiple misleading claims about the nature of its business. Last week we heard ACE still hasn’t approached Mark Turnbull, our key source and the former director of the company before it was renamed Primary Event Solutions, as part of its investigation. Turnbull sent evidence to ACE when he reported the application to them in 2022, so surely they’d want to hear from him now? Apparently not — we’re told it isn’t protocol to contact third parties unless for further information or clarification.

🌇 Two stories coming out of Salford: First, a £1bn development has been proposed which would require a retail park to be mostly razed, to the consternation of local residents and councillors who are worried about the loss of shops. The scheme would include over 3,000 new flats and a 71-storey skyscraper, with no affordable homes planned. 

🏠 Second: the local council has been criticised for failing to prevent homelessness. Cases were up to 3,000 last year, from 1,900 in 2021. Local Conservatives are calling on mayor Paul Dennett to use empty council offices as temporary housing.

🎓 A new college linked to Eton will be built in Oldham on the site that currently hosts the Tommyfield outdoor market. Eton announced it would be opening a sixth form in the town last year, in collaboration with Star Academies, a multi-academy trust running schools all over the UK. Oldham Council leader Arooj Shah said: “This means everyone gets a top class education, whatever their background and wherever they live, and the opportunity to fulfil their potential.”

🚌 Andy Burnham announced the return of night buses over the weekend. In a new pilot, there will be a 24-hour service on the V1 and 36 routes, which could be expanded if successful. That would be a big deal for hospitality workers and others who work late into the evening and find themselves shelling out for regular Ubers home.

Finally: We’re working on a story about the refurbishment of Manchester Town Hall: where it’s up to, and when it might reopen again. If you know anything interesting, know anyone involved or just have some gossip, send any and all tips to Jack. 

Introducing our new intern

Our intern, Jothi Gupta, has come all the way from the States for a month to get a sample of The Mill’s approach to journalism. She writes:

Home of the week

This one-bedroom Ancoats apartment is in the historic Royal Mills building by Rochdale canal and is a short walk from nearby minimalist small plates restaurant Erst and the park on the marina. £270,000.

Our favourite reads

Jeanette Winterson on Manchester, ‘the unquenchable city’ — The Financial Times

“The Manchester energy is particular” writes the critically-acclaimed author Jeanette Winterson. “There’s a vitality that bubbles up, whether you are rich or poor or somewhere in the middle.” The author’s mother was a seamstress who finished work early on a Friday to sew outfits for a Saturday night out on the town, made from remnants at the garment factory. “The ’60s were great,” she said. “One ’ole for yer head. Two for yer arms. A zip up the back. Done.”

God Next Door — BBC Radio 4

This audio documentary follows James, a landscape gardener in south Manchester who believes he is God and has attracted a following of believers who are convinced that he is a divine figure. “The first time I saw James, I thought, no, this can’t be real,” says Paul, his employer. Then, James started speaking, “and after ten minutes of him speaking, my heart just went boof, and it was just pure bliss.”

Maruja: Manchester’s defiant, outspoken and noisy new jazz-punks — NME

The year 2021 marked the year that Maruja had an unexpected stroke of luck. After a thief stole all of the jazz-punk band’s gear, a subsequent GoFundMe drew in a quiet donation from One Direction’s Louis Tomlinson that solved the band’s financial woes. Since then, the band is enjoying increasing popularity, including performing at Glastonbury and becoming a “word-of-mouth phenomenon” for their live sets, replete with rowdy crowdsurfers and moshpits. 

Our to do list

Tuesday

🎭 Hairspray is showing for five more nights at the Palace Theatre on Oxford Road, featuring The Full Monty star Neil Hurst as the big-hearted, reclusive mother Edna Turnblad. Tickets start at £13.

🎨 Mamela is a new exhibition at HOME that draws inspiration from the vibrant, colourful design of Ndebele homes in Zimbabwe and Southern Africa, aiming to tell a story about home and belonging. It’s free to visit.

Wednesday

📸 Local historian Don Rainger is giving a talk at Salford Museum and Art Gallery on how Salford’s architecture has changed over time, featuring his own photos from the late 1960s through to the 1980s. It’s free, just drop in.

🌿 The Curated Makers, a pop-up shop specialising in sustainable and thoughtful gifts from 25 small businesses, has set up residency at RHS Bridgewater every day from now until October. More here.

Thursday 

🫧 There’s a pop-up spa evening at Revolution on Deansgate where you can try award-winning skincare from TempleSpa, get a pampering treatment and leave with your own goody bag, all just for £5.

💧 There’s an evening wellbeing walk beginning at the Betts Pub car park in Rochdale and finishing at the waterfall at Cheesdon Lumb Mill. Ramblers are encouraged to take a cold dip in the water to “revitalise your mind, body and soul!”. £3.

Thanks to the sponsor of today’s briefing, The Davis Cup. To treat your employees or clients to an unforgettable day of tennis drama, click here for more details.