Neil Parpworth considers the current arguments and sensitivities surrounding the use of stop and search
- Stop and search can be authorised for up to 24 hours by an inspector under s 60, Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.
- Looks at the ‘find rate’, the ‘hit rate’ and the history of its use as well as the current context.
- Asserts that increasing its use can escalate tensions therefore it must be confined to the use for which it was intended, gang violence, and used sparingly.
The BBC recently reported that the Metropolitan Police Force was intending to use stop and search powers under s 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 to combat the potential problem of knife crime at the Notting Hill Carnival. Within a day or two of the relevant authorisation being granted, the Centre for Social Justice published a report, ‘It can be stopped: a proven blueprint to stop violence and tackle gang and related offending in London and beyond’ (August 2018), in which, among other things, its authors argued that
