This training is designed by the College of Policing and covers both the legislative training and the skills required by officers so they can conduct stop and search effectively. Police officers have stop and search training provided for by their force.
What training is given to police officers using these powers? Panels provide continuous learning for forces, identifying good practice which can increase officers’ confidence and feedback that can lead to organisational changes within policing, improvement of police practices and communication.Īs committed to in the Government’s Inclusive Britain report, the Home Office is working with partners to develop a national framework for local community scrutiny, to improve standards and consistency across the country. These safeguards include codes of practice within the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) and the use of Body Worn Video to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation, as well as to take steps to foster good relations with individuals and ensure the welfare of all under the age of 18.Ĭommunity Scrutiny Panels, made up of members of the public and often chaired by an independent party, review randomly selected records and footage of incidents of stop and search and reflect on whether officers have acted appropriately, providing feedback to their local force. In conducting a stop and search, police must adhere to strict safeguards that ensure the dignity of the individual they are stopping and searching and enhance public trust. Since 2019,100,000 weapons have been removed from our streets, 40,000 of those specifically seized through stop and search, also leading to over 220,000 arrests. Stop and search is a key tactic for police to get dangerous weapons off our streets and protect communities from violence and other crime. 30% of offenders convicted or cautioned for a knife or offensive weapons offence in the year ending December 2022 already had at least one previous conviction or caution for knife or weapons offences.
These Orders give the police powers to automatically search those previously convicted of weapons offences, to deter them from carrying knives again while ensuring that those who persist are more likely to be caught.Įvidence shows that there is a cycle of reoffending when it comes to knife crime. We are also currently piloting Serious Violence Reduction Orders in four areas of the country – Thames Valley, West Midlands, Merseyside and Sussex. We expect this measure to come into force in the coming months. This includes suspicion-less stop and search powers which can be used by officers when authorised within a tightly defined area for a limited period of time. The Public Order Act of 2023 also expanded stop and search powers so police can find items used for locking-on, improving the police’s ability to intervene before serious disruption is caused. Called a Section 60 order, police can stop and search people in a designated area they deem may be at risk of violence, without reasonable suspicion, if an officer at Inspector level (or senior) believes people will be carrying weapons. Suspicion-less stop and search applies to specific areas. It allows a police officer to stop and search an individual if they have ‘reasonable grounds’ to suspect they are carrying: illegal drugs, a weapon, stolen property, or something which could be used to commit a crime, like a crowbar. Suspicion-based stop and search applies to individuals. There are two types of stop and search powers: suspicion-based and suspicion-less stop and search. Prevention is at the core of stop and search. We have also strengthened the safeguards, transparency and scrutiny of stop and search, to improve the public’s confidence that the power is being exercised proportionately and legitimately.
#OFFICE SHARING FULL#
The government fully supports the police to use their full stop and search powers and have taken a range of action in recent years to ensure the police are confident using these powers. Stop and search powers are a vital tool for the police to prevent violence and other crime.Įvery knife taken off our streets is a potential life saved - 100,000 knives and offensive weapons have been taken off our streets since 2019, 40,000 seized specifically through stop and search, and the remainder through other action like weapon surrender schemes and police sweeps of hotspot areas of violence.
0 kommentar(er)
