Stop and searches reviewed by members of community in Stoke-on-Trent

Stop and searches in Staffordshire have been scrutinised by members of the community in Stoke-on-Trent as part of a drive to increase transparency and boost confidence.

In a major development for the force, we have opened up our stop and search data to members of the public. Thirty students from local communities in Stoke-on-Trent reviewed 10 stop and searches on people in the local area, selected at random by the group.

We met with the students on Friday 31 January at Stoke-on-Trent College and reviewed the justifications for the stop and search, known as ‘reasonable grounds’. The students then reviewed these reports and some simple training was delivered at the beginning of the session.

Nine of the 10 searches were found to be valid by a majority or all participants, with one having mixed views. Feedback from the community members has been given to all officers that were responsible for carrying out the searches.

All community members said that they were satisfied with the process.

Inspector Victoria Ison, Deputy Commander for Stoke North, hosted the scrutiny session. She said: “I would like to thank the students for taking part. Not only does their participation help with our scrutiny of stop and search but it also forges valuable links in the local community with our young people.

“The feedback given is used to develop officer’s effective delivery of stop and search which is vital in serving our local communities.”

Back in September last year, the same process was repeated in the Moorlands where members of the local community met at Cheadle Police Station and reviewed 10 other stop and search records.

Of the 10 searches reviewed, four were found to be valid by a majority or all participants. Two had mixed views, with four being deemed insufficient.

Staffordshire Commissioner for Police, Fire & Rescue and Crime Ben Adams said: “As Commissioner, a key part of my role is acting as the voice of the public, holding the Chief Constable and Staffordshire Police to account and ensuring they are answerable to the communities they serve.

“Stop and search is an important tactic for the police, and our communities need to be confident that officers are using it in a way that is fair, appropriate and transparent. This review is a welcome addition to the independent scrutiny of stop and search and other police powers that is carried out by panels of volunteers working with my office.”