452 - (FREE) Stop And Search/ Part 2
Personal experiences and viewpoints on the use of these powers and their potential for conflict continues...
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Part two of a series of posts featuring a variety of opinions about the police power to stop and search individuals in the street.
I’ve been interested in this often-pushed solution to knife crime(*1) for some time as it falls in the grey area seemingly to me of being both a solution to some and simultaneously and for a range of reasons, a flashpoint for conflict to others.
Social media is replete with videos of young males resisting police searches while passers-by scream at police and sometimes get involved.
From a Journal request for comments on stop and search, there were a few people interested in commenting but in the end, I have three viewpoints, two of which I will be posting unedited, directly from some of the emails as part of a series starting with this one.
This section of people was not as large or varied as I would have liked but there were still several things that made me think as some of the replies came from different opinions and experiences to my own and from very opposing viewpoints - which I always value as there’s a chance to reappraise something potentially there and learn.
Part one of this series can be found here (Click below), it’s worth a read as it will explain from UK government sources how this power is officially regarded and communicated:
Jeth
Jeth: “What are your thoughts on stop and search?”
Opinion one / Background: Member of the public
“For as long as I can remember there have always been issues around Stop & Search, its overuse, the way it is conducted, that it is inherently racist, intimidating, a way to keep an eye on & dehumanise people in our communities.
The three key policing strategies are:
1: stop & search,
2: the targeting of high-profile criminals /gang members &
3: neighbourhood policing/patrols
Striking the right balance between these three strategies is essential for it to be effective. The MPS (*2) overly focus on stop & search so this means they are not carrying out as many targeted operations as they need to take out the most serious criminals.
It is essential the MPS put more focus on targeting these criminals- the ones who blend into our society & responsible for these criminal networks preying on our youth, grooming& exploiting them into a life of crime & gang violence.
They are not involved in street-level crime so not very likely to be caught through stop & search.
The MPS have the lowest rate of apprehending drug traffickers/ gang members/organised crime and the lowest investment into community policing compared to other forces across the UK
We have to all work together going forward and agree on the right balance to solve these problems.
As there is no trust left in the police neighbourhood patrols would have to incorporate grassroots community groups to work alongside the police to help build up trust and be able to oversee what they are doing.
Community safety has to be the police serving the community instead of repressing it through force.
The police need retraining to continue to carry out these searches. If not, this will lead to further breakdown of relations & trust between the police & the community. There is no trust & confidence in the MPS as it is.
Also, I think it's very important that when certain weapons are found on a stop & search to focus more on where they came from & who's bringing these weapons into our communities as they are not making their own way here. It is definitely worth doing your own research into this you may be surprised at which companies play a big part in this. It’s big business & a lot of money is being made from the death of our youth.
The recent Baroness Casey report looked into the MPS & found that right across the MET is Institutional & systemic racism, sexism & homophobia. There is a culture of discrimination within the MPS
One suggestion in the report with regards to stop & search going forward was that all police officers must give their name and shoulder number when first starting a conversation with a person to stop & search them.
Until there is balance in policing strategy tactics we can all play a part & help if we want to.
If we witness a stop & search and want to intervene as a bystander
First, check that the person is ok, inform them of their rights, and ask how old they are as if under 17 as will need an appropriate adult if arrested.
Keep a safe distance 1-2 metres away.
Ask them if they want you to contact someone on their behalf & if it’s ok to film. You need to film what the police are doing.
Just know that it's your right to be there & witness what's happening.
If asked to stop filming make sure to take the names & shoulder badges date & location, how many officers, number plate of vans if the person is arrested, get witnesses -find out which station they're taking them to.
Remember its Welfare, Rights, Document, Solidarity Support and safety.
I would also advise any person who has been stopped and searched to ask for a record/receipt/slip of the stop & search.
If the person has not already given their details previously please advise them that at this point they still do not have to give their information to the police to get the receipt -the officer can write a description of them on there instead.
Also, get them to check that on this slip the officer fills it in fully eg. ticks the ethnicity box and what the grounds for the search were, etc.”
End of part two.
Notes:
1 - I specifically look at knife crime as that is connected most directly to the subject of physical aggression and countering it as a member of the public. I am not interested for the purposes of these posts, in the use of stop-and-search to disrupt the possession and/or selling of illegal drugs.
While this is indeed part of the landscape of competition and resulting violence in our everyday lives as the drug market also impacts the environment that we must live in, especially for younger people and as parents of those younger people, it is outside of the immediate first contact point with physical aggression for most members of the public - unlike the knife which contacts easily both on the street and also in the less discussed location of the home.
2 - MPS or Metropolitan Police Service
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