Page 21 - Federation magazine: December 2016 / January 2017

Force leading the way with
stop and search reform

Police officers from around Europe conduct several searches. effectively monitor the use of such powers
attended a conference in Birmingham ‘We have recently received feedback from on young people and members of black and
last month to learn from West the Open Society Foundations describing the Asian communities.”
Midlands Police’s highly commended stop event as an overwhelming success. Only four per cent of 64,000 searches
and search reforms. Delegates highlighted that they identified a conducted by West Midlands Police in
The Force has spent two years improving great many ideas and examples to take back 2011-12 resulted in arrests. That increased
its stop and search programme and changes to their respective forces and jurisdictions to to 16 per cent out of 18,127 stops in 2014
now include a public assessment panel and improve policing legitimacy and in particular and a further increase in 2015-16 to 25 per
a new electronic recording system. All their stop and search practices, as a result of cent of stop and searches resulted in a
front-line officers have also received extra what they heard and saw in Birmingham,” positive outcome of arrest, fixed penalty
training. says T/Inspector Dave Whordley. fine, caution, warning, community
Human rights group, Open Society “Stop and search is an important police resolution or another disposal method.
Foundations, hosted the Cannon Street power. As a Force we will always back Dr Rebekah Delsol from Open Society’s
conference after highlighting the Force’s officers who use their powers legitimately Justice Initiative, said: “Stop and search is
reforms as exemplary and it suggested other and accountably but when stop and search one of the more thorny police issues. Doing
European forces follow a similar lead to is misapplied, and when people are stopped it right is key to good community relations
make stops fairer, more targeted and officers and searched for no good reason, it is unfair, and forces around the world are reviewing
more accountable. wastes valuable police time, and damages their procedures and looking for examples of
Senior officers from Germany, Spain and the relationship between communities and good practice.
Switzerland attended the conference to hear the police. “West Midlands Police has overhauled its
presentations from the Home Office, the “That is why we have introduced reforms approach to stop and search and had
IPCC, College of Policing, the Equality & designed to ensure our stop and searches impressive results. That’s why we chose
Human Rights Commission and stop and are properly targeted and intelligence-led. Birmingham to host this event and I’m sure
search project leads from the Metropolitan, “Our reforms are working: HMIC delegates will go away with lots of food for
Northamptonshire and Merseyside Police. inspectors recently praised the Force for its thought.”
They also observed city centre officers use of stop and search, noting that we

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