STOP AND SEARCH WORKSHOP
THE POLICE
MEDIA PERCEPTION
THE LAW • Police officers have the power to stop, detain and search you without arresting you. • An officer must also have reasonable grounds for their suspicion that you have a prohibited item on you. For example, your behaviour could be taken as a sign that you are in possession of a prohibited item.
When can police stop and search? A police officer has powers to stop and search you if they have ‘ reasonable grounds ’ to suspect your carrying any of the following: • Illegal drugs • A Weapon • Stolen item • Something that can be used to commit a crime e.g. crowbar
STOP AND ACCOUNT Stop and Account is when an officer stops you and asks you: • What you are doing; • Why you are in an area or where you are going; • What you are carrying -if anything. This information is not required by law to be recorded and an individual is under no obligation to answer to the above however cooperating with officers is also good practice.
Where can police stop and search an individual?
What is recovered? ILLEGAL CASH DRUGS DEVICES INCLUDING LAPTOPS AND MOBILE PHONES JEWELLERY EQUIPMENT USED TO COMMIT A CRIME FIREARM S
Knife Wands • Response cops have been equipped with the metal detecting devices which will be used to support their stop and search powers and to take weapons off the streets. • It’s a move that’s been taken as part of our wider work to tackle knife crime and to make it more difficult for people to conceal weapons. • The wands are effective stop and search tools and less intrusive for suspects. But it’s a type of search we still need reasonable grounds to use − they can’t be used indiscriminately − and must record after each deployment. • They are not a replacement for a thorough personal search of suspects as they will only detect metallic weapons.
GO-WISELY G-GROUNDS OF SEARCH O-OBJECT OF SEARCH W-WARRANT CARD I-IDENTITY OF OFFICER S-STATION OF THE OFFICER E-ENTITLEMENT L-LEGAL POWER USED Y-YOU ARE BEING DETAINED
Recording the Police Are you legally allowed to record the police during a Stop and Search?
Videos
Remember ‘SEARCH’ S TAY CALM E YE CONTACT A SK QUESTIONS R ECEIPT/ REFERENCE NUMBER C ONFIDENCE H OLD TO ACCOUNT
Reference No. & Receipt Immediately after the search is completed you should be given a reference number and told where you can obtain a copy of the full record or access an electronic copy. You do not need to give your name or address when being stopped and searched- Being stopped and searched does not mean you now hold a criminal record.
Body Worn Cameras (BWC)
Case study
Knife crimes
Knife Bins The West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner has supported the installation of weapon surrender bins across the region. http://westmidlands-pcc.gov.uk/key-issues/weapon-surrender-bins
David Jamieson West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner
Questions
Thank You
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