Stop and search - recommendation 61

Report: 9
Date: 27 February 2001
By: Clerk

Summary

The Home Office has asked all police authorities to consult their communities on Recommendation 61 of the Stephen Lawrence report. MPA is in the process of plans to hold its consultation event before the end of March. Details of this will be circulated to all MPA members and a publicity campaign is being developed to support the initiative.

A. Recommendations

• That members endorse the Home Office requirement for the MPA to consult on Recommendation 61.
• That members discuss the draft proposals for the event.
• That consideration is to the proposal in paragraph 4 for hosting further consultation events to ensure that other groups and communities are consulted on Recommendation 61.

B. Supporting information

1. The Lawrence Report recognised that communities’ views are based on their experiences of all police stops not just on those stops which involve a search. Accordingly, the Report made four recommendations relating to stop and search. Recommendation 61 stated:

” The Home Secretary, in consultation with police services, should ensure that a record is made by police officers of all stops and searches” made under any legislative provision (not just the Police and Criminal Evidence Act.) Non-statutory or so-called voluntary searches must also be recorded. The record to include the reason for the stop, the outcome and the self-defined ethnic identity of the person stopped. A copy of the record shall be given to the person stopped.”

2. The Home Secretary’s Lawrence Steering Group initiated pilots of Lawrence Recommendation 61 in four police forces. The research showed that this is a complex area and that implementation of the recommendation that all police stops should be recorded could have significant implications for both the public and the police.

3. Before reaching a final decision on whether to implement Recommendation 61, the Home Secretary has asked that police authorities consult their local communities on this proposal. The APA has produced comprehensive guidance for all police authorities on planning the consultation event. This has been circulated to members separately.

4. The Secretariat has held discussions with the Chair and Deputy Chair of the MPA. The Deputy Chair, Peter Herbert, has agreed to chair the event, and is actively involved in the planning. A draft programme will be circulated at the meeting. There may be the need for further, smaller events, and it is proposed that such events should be organised to ensure that a wider range of groups is consulted, including, for example, faith groups, the gay and lesbian community, school children and those from groups that are unlikely to engage in the conference.

5. The Communications unit has been closely involved in the planning and will be producing a media plan to support the event(s), if approved.

C. Financial implications

The Home Office has provided funding for all publicity materials to support the event. Additionally, the MPA has been given £1,000 to support the consultation events. However, the cost of holding the event alone is likely to be in the region of £3,000-5,000. Additional events are likely to incur a smaller cost.

It is therefore anticipated that the total cost of this consultation exercise will be in the region of £8,000. This budget will be taken from the next financial year 2001/02.

D. Background papers

None

E. Contact details

The author of this report is Julia Smith 020 7944 8916.

For information contact:

MPA general: 020 7202 0202
Media enquiries: 020 7202 0217/18

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