Stop And Search

‘Stop and search’ is a form of police-citizen interaction that is confrontational, often stressful for those involved, and potentially damaging to the relationship between police and public. The extent to which police officers use their power to stop and perhaps search members of the public is intimately linked not only to the present-day context of policing but also to longer term patterns in the aims of policing, the ends used to achieve them, and ultimately to the ideology of policing in England and Wales. Stop and Search and Police Legitimacy draws upon both police-administrative and survey-based data to examine what has for many years been one of the most highly charged and contested aspects of police practice. Taking a decidedly quantitative, empirical, approach, this book examines the patterning of police stops over social and geographic space, the problem of ethnic disproportionality, and the evidence concerning how people experience and react to being stopped by police – particularly in relation to issues of fairness, legitimacy, cooperation and compliance. A further important concern is the extent to which this form of police practice shapes and re-shapes the identities of those affected by it. This ground-breaking study is a comprehensive resource for students and scholars in the fields of criminology, sociology, social policy, ethnic and racial studies and human rights. It will also be of special interest to police leaders and policy-makers.

Police powers to stop, question and search people in public places, and the way these powers are exercised, is a contentious aspect of police-community relations, and a key issue for criminological and policing scholarship, and for public debate about liberty and security more generally. Whilst monitoring and controlling minority populations has always been a feature of police work, new fears, new ‘suspect populations’ and new powers intended to control them have arisen in the face of instability associated with rapid global change. This book synthesises and extends knowledge about stop and search practices across a range of jurisdictions and contexts. It explores the use of stop and search powers in relation to street crime, terrorism and unauthorised migration in Britain, North America, Europe, Australia, Africa, and Asia. The book covers little researched practices such as road-blocks and ID checking, and discusses issues such as fairness, effectiveness, equity and racial profiling. It provides a substantive and theoretical foundation for transnational and comparative research on police powers in a global context. This book was originally published as a special issue of Policing and Society.

This book reviews the key controversies surrounding the police power to stop and search members of the public. It explores the history and development of these powers, assesses their effectiveness in tackling crime and their impact on public trust and confidence as well as on-going attempts at regulation and reform.

Legislative Scrutiny : Crime and Security Bill; Personal Care at Home Bill; Children, Schools and Families Bill, twelfth report of session 2009-10, report, together with formal minutes and written Evidence

Policing the Open Road examines how the rise of the car, that symbol of American personal freedom, inadvertently led to ever more intrusive policing--with disastrous consequences for racial equality in our criminal justice system. When Americans think of freedom, they often picture the open road. Yet nowhere are we more likely to encounter the long arm of the law than in our cars. Sarah Seo reveals how the rise of the automobile transformed American freedom in radical ways, leading us to accept--and expect--pervasive police power. As Policing the Open Road makes clear, this expectation has had far-reaching political and legal consequences.--

If you've dreamed of walking free of sexual harassment, you will understand why it's time to end stop-and-frisk policing.