Stop and look: Suella Braverman urges troops to “step up” the action

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2 hours ago

The Home Secretary asked police chiefs to “intensify” the use of stop and search powers to prevent further knife attacks and “save more lives”.

In a letter to all 43 forces in England and Wales, Soella Braverman said the “dangerous culture” of carrying guns “must stop”.

It also called on the forces to urgently release body camera footage to prevent the police from facing a “social media trial”.

Opponents of the stop-and-frisk policy say it unfairly targets ethnic minorities.

In England and Wales, the police can stop and search an individual or a vehicle if they have “reasonable grounds” to suspect that the person is carrying a weapon, drugs, stolen property or an object that could be used to commit a crime.

Critics say the practice disproportionately targets those in ethnic minorities – especially black men – and can leave people feeling victimized.

But the government says it is a “reasonable policing technique” and the Metropolitan Police have described it as a “critical force” to protect the public.

The government said new data shows more than 100,000 guns have been removed from Britain’s streets since 2019 through a combination of tactics – about half of them seized at stop-and-search operations, resulting in more than 220,000 arrests.

In her letter, Ms Braverman said: “My number one priority is to keep the public safe, and people who insist on taking up arms should know there will be consequences.

“The police have my full support for stepping up the use of stop and search, wherever necessary, to prevent violence and save more lives.”

Government statistics show that black people are seven times more likely to be stopped and searched than white people.

Campaign groups have previously warned that loosening restrictions on police use of power could exacerbate discrimination.

The Home Office said it accepts that black men are more likely to be stopped by police, but that they have also been “disproportionately affected” by knife crime.

The Home Secretary added: “Every knife crime death is a tragedy. That’s why I also support the police in tackling this scourge in communities that are disproportionately affected, such as among young black males. We need to do everything we can to break on this.” violence.”

The Interior Ministry called on officers to use available powers to arrest people who unlawfully obstruct stops and searches. It said troops should urgently release footage from officers’ body cameras to prevent innocent officers from “being prosecuted on social media”.

The Interior Ministry also said it plans to put two provisions into law for the use of stop and search powers.

The department said police should engage with the “local community” when placing Section 60 orders — that is, stops and searches that can be carried out without the need for “reasonable cause.”

Police forces can authorize the use of Section 60 orders in specific areas—usually a neighborhood, or sometimes an entire district—for a specified period of time.

The Home Office also said data on every stop-and-search interaction should continue to be collected so the Home Office can release it for the sake of transparency and public scrutiny.

In 2022, the Independent Office for Police Conduct said it was a “legitimate policing tactic”, but it was time to “break the cycle” of its disproportionate use, which was causing “traumatic stress” and damaging trust in police work.

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