Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary. (2013). Stop and search powers: Are the police using them effectively and fairly?

Survey of 19,078 people across England and Wales about their opinions of the use of stop and search powers. Survey of 391 people who had been subjected to a stop and search about their views of their experiences. The survey of 391 people who had been stopped and searched showed that: 44% said the police didn‘t act reasonably; 42% said they did not understand why they were stopped and searched; 47% felt they were not treated with respect; and 37% said they were not told the reason why they were stopped and searched. When those who had been stopped and searched were asked about how their experiences of the way the powers were used had affected their opinion of the police, 39% said their opinion had diminished, and 32% said it had not changed. Almost a quarter (24%) said their experience had improved their opinion of the police. Authors argue that this is an important result as it suggests that, whilst the police must redouble their efforts to reduce the overall negative impact of these powers, it is possible to use the powers in such a way that improves people‘s opinion of the police.