People are being invited to help scrutinise the way Leicestershire Police uses stop and search powers following the publication of research by a DMU criminologist.
The External Stop Search Reference Group is on the lookout for new members, and applications are particularly invited from young people under the age of 25 and individuals from diverse ethnic backgrounds.
The group monitors a range of issues relating to Stop and Search, including the reasons for stopping people and the proportionality of Black, Asian and other minority groups who are stopped and searched compared to white people.
The group also makes recommendations about changes in working practice.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) published a report five years ago following a study of the differences in rates of stop and search between individual police forces throughout the country. It concluded that, at that time, Leicestershire had high levels of disproportionality between black and white people who were being stopped and searched.
As a result the force commissioned De Montfort University (DMU) to carry out further research while introducing major changes in its approach.
Jean Hine, Reader in Criminology at DMU, inspected some 13,000 stop search records dating from 2011 to 2013. It found that over those two years the number of stop searches reduced significantly for all ethnic groups.
However, it also found that disproportionality was still an issue between different ethnic groups, and it made recommendations about more effective supervision and the recording of grounds for exercising the powers.
Jean said: “Leicestershire Police is to be congratulated on commissioning independent scrutiny of their stop search records. This highlighted the complexity of individual officer decision making in relation to stop searches.
“There was no evidence of racism or disproportionality by individual officers but the work shows how unconscious bias may affect disproportionality. The disproportionate use of stop search with children and young people aged between 10 and 20 years old is also an important factor in relation to ethnic disproportionality ratios. It is good to hear that this research has informed Force policy in relation to stop and search.”
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Assistant Chief Constable Phil Kay said: “We have made massive changes to our whole stop and search approach in the years since the EHRC report and since the period reviewed by DMU.
“The number of stop searches has continued to fall as has the disproportionality rate.
“Moreover, last summer we launched two key elements of the national Best Use of Stop and Search voluntary scheme which was designed to contribute to a significant reduction in the overall use of stop and search, deliver better and more intelligence-led stop and search, and improve stop-to-arrest ratios.
“Today, Leicestershire Police records all outcomes of stop and search and whether there is a connection between the grounds for the search and the outcome. It has also restricted the use of Section 60 “no suspicion” powers. Under this scheme, the chief officer must make the decision whether to authorise the use of such powers. In cases where the chief officer anticipates serious violence, that officer must reasonably believe that violence “will” rather than “may” take place, as it stands now.
“We still have some way to go, but over the last five years we have made very significant changes for the better”.
Iris Lightfoote, Chief Executive of the Racial Equality Centre, said: “The Race Equality Centre has been involved with the Stop Search Reference Group since it was formed four years ago. The group has been instrumental in providing external scrutiny and challenge to Leicestershire Police in their use of stop and search powers and we have an extremely important role in ensuring stop and search is applied appropriately and fairly.
“The group will continue to work with the Force as it develops the Best use of Stop and Search Scheme. We would also welcome new members to the group to continue with this important work.”
Anyone wanting to join the External Stop Search Reference Group should contact Anamaria Garcia on 0116 2042790 or by emailing administrator@theraceequalitycentre.org.uk
Posted on Thursday 20 August 2015