The latest Home Office figures confirm that stop and search remains both controversial and diminished. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth of De Montfort University analyses data showing historically low use of s 1 PACE powers, with drugs searches dominating what remains
Suspicionless stop and search under s 60 continues to be rare, unevenly deployed and marked by persistently low arrest rates. Political calls for expansion sit uneasily alongside evidence suggesting the tactic works best when tightly targeted.
Parpworth also tracks modest rises in newer powers and highlights a significant increase in the use of body-worn video, boosting accountability in theory if not always in practice.
The figures paint a nuanced picture: fewer searches, slightly better arrest outcomes, and enduring concern about legitimacy. As ever, the debate turns less on raw power than on how, when and where it is exercised.
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