College of Policing comment in response on HMIC report on Best Use of Stop and Search
Garth Stinson, Stop and Search Lead at the College of Policing has responded to the HMIC report.
“Today's report demonstrates the continued commitment of police forces to use the powers fairly, legally and professionally so that the public can continue to have confidence in the officers who protect them. On a daily basis officers continue to protect the community by taking dangerous weapons, drugs and stolen property off our streets.
“Last year we published the first national standards for officers since stop and search powers were introduced in 1984 so that police are supported to use it more effectively in tackling crime and increasing trust in its use.
“To create the training we undertook the first ever UK Policing randomised controlled trial on stop and search which found that officers who were trained were less likely to support using racial or ethnic stereotypes.
“We are also pleased to note that the 2017 HMIC Legitimacy Inspection will assess the reasonableness of recorded grounds and believe that the recently published national standards and training will support forces in this area.”
