For more than four years, our EU COST funded network on Police Stops has been gathering information, hearing from experts and practitioners, and learning from those who have experience of being stopped by the police. We have learnt from efforts to change the way policing is done in Scotland and elsewhere. But we have also seen the death of George Floyd and the development of the #blacklivesmatter movement in Europe. And we have noted the ways in which the police were asked to respond to the pandemic and to new public health restrictions.
These two challenges in particular have shed a light on policing in parts of Europe that have, in the past, not paid close attention. Over the four years of our network, debates about the practice of Police Stops have emerged in France, in Belgium, in Norway, in Denmark and in other countries. This event, the closing conference of our network, will present our work. But more important for all of us, it will offer help and ideas for how to address emerging concerns and to improve the relationship between the police and those they police.
PROGRAMME
| 8.30 – 9.00 | Registration |
| 9.00 – 9.10 | Welcome remarks
By Joachim Koops, Scientific Director of the Institute of Security and Global Affairs, University of Leiden |
| 9.10 – 9.30 | Stop and Search in Europe EU COST Action – an overview
With Sofie De Kimpe, Action Chair and Mike Rowe, Action Vice Chair |
| 9.30 – 10.30 | PANEL SESSION
Police stops: What is the problem? With Justice Tankebe, University of Cambridge, Susan McVie, University of Edinburgh and Bisi Akintoye, University of Kent |
| Coffee break (15 mins) | |
| 10.45 – 11.45 | PANEL SESSION
Evidencing the problem With Slim Ben Achour, Avocat à la Cour, Jeppe Kirkelund Søndergaard, Danish Institute for Human Rights and Elise Lassus, European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) |
| 11.45 – 12.45 | BREAKOUTS
Working Group 1 Understanding the Practice of Police Stops in Europe Working Group 2 Understanding the Experience of Police Stops in Europe |
| Lunch |
|
| 14.00 – 15.00 | PANEL SESSION
Pressures for change With Sebastian Roché and Ludovic De Vocht, Vrije Universiteit Brussel and University of Ghent |
| 15.00 – 16.00 | PANEL SESSION
Making changes With Ian Thomson, Police Scotland (retired), Masood Fazal and Gunnar Lien Holsten, Norwegian Police, and Helene Gundhus, University of Oslo |
| 16.00 – 17.00 | BREAKOUTS
Working Group 3 Governing Police Stops in Europe Working Group 4 Contextualising Police Stops in Europe |
| 17.00 – 17.30 | Reflections from the Breakout Discussions |
| 17.30 – 17.45 | Closing remarks
By Sofie De Kimpe and Mike Rowe |
| 17.45 | Book launch and reception
With Wesley G. Skogan, author of Stop & Frisk and the Politics of Crime in Chicago |
Date: 28 February 2023
Venue: Wijnhaven, University of Leiden, Turfmarkt 99, 2511 DP The Hague, The Netherlands
Local organiser: Joery Matthys and Vlad Niculescu-Dinca, University of Leiden
Registrations are closed.
Invitations to selected Polstops network members are sent via the e-cost platform.
RESOURCES
Resources for police/practitioners
Resources for governing bodies
Stop & Search in Europe (A Map)
