Stop and search conference

Report: 9
Date: 22 March 2001
By: Clerk

Summary

The Home Secretary has asked all police authorities in England and Wales to consult their communities on the implementation of Recommendation 61 of the report into the death of Stephen Lawrence.

In order to respond to this request the Authority will be hosting a consultation event on Friday 23 March 2001. Further consultation events are planned.

A. Recommendations

1. That Members note the draft programme for the consultation conference on Friday 23 March 2001.
2. That Members discuss the further consultation events and initiatives that are proposed, including the communication strategy to support the events.

B. Supporting information

1. The Association of Police Authorities (APA) issued guidance to police authorities in February 2001 informing them of the Home Secretary's wish that all police authorities should consult their communities on Recommendation 61 of the Lawrence Report. The original deadline given for this consultation was 31 March 2001. The Minister, Charles Clarke, has since confirmed that this consultation period has now been extended to the end of May 2001.

2. Working on the original timetable received from the Home Office officers, in consultation with the Chair and Deputy Chair of the Authority, Lord Toby Harris and Peter Herbert, have organised a consultation event to take place on Friday 23 March, at Romney House.

3. At such short notice there were difficulties in securing a venue for this event, Romney House does however offer adequate and appropriate facilities to host the day and it meets the budget allocated for the event.

4. The MPS are involved in planning of the event, and have contributed to the drafting of the programme as well as helping with suggestions of organisations and individuals to be invited. The Deputy Commissioner has agreed to address the conference event. A copy of the draft programme see Appendix 1. An updated programme will be available at the meeting.

5. The Chair of the Authority together with the Deputy Chair, Peter Herbert, has also been instrumental in the organisation of the event. Peter Herbert has used his community links to ensure that organisations such as the Society of Black Lawyers are supportive of the programme. The event will be hosted in association with the SBL. The 1990 Trust and the Black Londoners Forum have also lent their support for the event and these organisations will implement their own internal processes for assisting the Authority with its consultation on Recommendation 61.

6. The purpose of the consultation to inform the Authority's consideration of the view it will wish to take on Recommendation 61, which proposes that all stops should be recorded in the way in which all stop and searches currently are. The final decisions rest with the Home Secretary, advised by the Lawrence Steering Group. The question is simple but the considerations it involves are complex. The product of the consultation event, emerging from the workshop and the contributions of the invited speakers and participants, will, we hope, clarify some of these complexities.

7. The Communications Unit has developed a communications strategy to support the events, at Appendix 2.

8. Further smaller, more localised consultation events are planned. Some of these are yet to be finalised. The Authority will also wish to discuss the findings with the Commissioner and his senior officer colleagues before finalising its advice to the Home Secretary and the Association of Police Authorities. A consultation questionnaire that can be used with a range of groups which will be available on the MPA website.

C. Financial implications

A budget of £8,000 has been allocated for this event.

D. Background papers

• Police Stops: Consulting Communities APA Guidance for Police authorities - February 2001

E. Contact details

The author of this report is Julia Smith, MPA.

For information contact:

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

Appendix 2: Stop and search conference 23 March 2001 – Communications strategy

Background

The Macpherson Report acknowledged that communities' views of Stop and Search are based on all police stops – not just those that involve a search as well.

Recommendation 61 of the McPherson Report says:

"The Home Secretary, in consultation with police services should ensure that a record is made by police officers of all stops, and stops and searches made under any legislative provision. This record should include the reason for the stop, the outcome and the self-defined ethnicity of the person stopped. A copy of that record should be given to the person stopped."

Over the two years since the publication of the report the Home Office has been piloting the so called 'stops and talks' in four police forces (one site in the Met). Before a final decision is reached on whether to implement Recommendation 61 the Home Office has asked police authorities to consult their local communities on this proposal

Therefore, the purpose of this conference is to explore community views on the extent to which encounters with police and public should be recorded and how this can be most effectively achieved. The consultation must be completed by the end of May.

Press strategy

Aims

• To show that the MPA are making full use of this opportunity to consult with their local communities to tackle one of the major causes of distrust and conflict between minority communities and the police.
• To ensure that all the relevant communities in London are aware of this consultation process
• To ensure that all relevant media in the capital are informed of the conference.

NB: The APA is running a national publicity campaign to coincide with their conference on 12 March 2001. The MPA press strategy should support and reflect this national campaign.

Target media

• All London media – Evening Standard, LNN and Newsroom South East
• London radios – Sunrise, Choice, London Live, Kiss, Talk Radio
• Ethnic press and media – Voice, Asian Times, foreign community press
• Gay press
• Youth press – football magazines/programmes, teenage magazines
• London's local press
• Community publications – Church, Refugee Centres, Housing Associations
• National press – it is possible given the topic that some nationals would follow up this story

Key message

The Macpherson Report endorsed the view that police powers of stop and search should be retained. It remains a potential flash point amongst ethnic minority communities in London.

The MPA is consulting with London's communities to obtain their views about how the use of those powers can be improved and the extent to which police stops should be recorded. (Recommendation 61).

Methods

Media spokesperson
To appoint a media spokesperson and this person should be the point of contact for the MPA with the media.

External communication prior to conference

Press
To contact relevant media - 2 weeks prior to conference
To contact radio media and offer spokesperson for phone-ins - 1 week prior to conference
To offer press spokesperson for interview - 1 week prior to conference
To arrange a pre conference briefing for media - 1 week prior to conference
To issue and distribute a press release - 2/3 days prior to conference

Publicity
To contact APA and order publicity material, e.g. booklets, post cards and posters
(this has already been done and it is possible to have the MPA logo printed on the generic material)
This material to be available on the day and sent out to community centres (posters) two weeks prior to conference

Internet
Post details of conference and agenda on the MPA website
Initiate a feedback form re Stop and Search on the MPA website 'Your Views'

At the conference
Provide access and facilities for the media – although not for the conference to be televised or filmed
Offer the spokesperson, with community leaders if possible, for briefing and interview on the day
Put major speeches onto the MPA website

Post conference
Issue follow up press release addressing issues of the day
Use website to explain how views will be reported back and considered nationally before final decisions reached on the way forward

Internal communication
To publish report of the conference in the Job and the MPA's internal and external Newsletter
To compile reports and photographs of the day for inclusion in future MPA Reports
To post relevant material on the MPA Intranet

Inter agency press liaison
To establish communications channels with press offices of partners and relevant agencies e.g. APA, Black Police Association, Police Federation.

Evaluation
Compile all press cuts and broadcast programmes
Follow up with further press releases with relevant information
Monitor feedback on the Website

Jacqui Jones
Senior Press Officer
21 March 2001

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