Page 25 - JUSTICE Tackling Racial Injustice - Children and the Youth Justice System

and young adults thinking their communities are unfairly targeted. Although
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all BAME groups experience stop and search at a higher rate than White
people, Black boys experience the highest proportion of stop and search.
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Despite overall rates of stop and search decreasing in the last 10 years, no
corresponding drop exists for BAME individuals, with Black young men in
London 19 times more likely than their White counterparts to be stopped, with
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similarly disproportionate levels for those under the age of 18. Moreover,
rates of stop and search are now on the rise, with a 52% increase in use between
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March 2019 and March 2020.

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2.11 Powers under section 1 PACE and section 60 CJPO are the most frequently
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used, with 558,973 stops and searches conducted under section 1 between
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March 2019 and 2020. Yet there is no evidence to suggest that the use of stop
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and search powers has any tangible effectiveness in reducing crime, with a

48 P. Keeling, ‘No Respect: Young BAME men, the police and stop and search’ (Criminal Justice
Alliance, 2017), p. 20.
49 J. Brown, ‘Police powers: stop and search’, November 2020, p. 15.
50 Dr. Matt Ashby, UCL, ‘Stop and search in London: July to September 2020’, (November 2020), p.5.
51 Home Office, ‘Police powers and procedures, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2020’, p. 1.
52 Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE). Section 1 of PACE gives a police officer the power
to stop a person or vehicle if they have reasonable grounds to suspect the person has stolen or prohibited
articles in their possession. There is no need for the authorisation of a senior officer. Section 2 of PACE
requires officers to inform those they are searching of their name, police station, the object they are
trying to find and the grounds for the search. Failure to comply with such requirements will render a
stop and search unlawful (see R v Bristol [2007] EWCA Crim 3214).
53 Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 (CJPO). Section 60 of CJPO allows any senior officer to
authorise the use of stop and search powers within a designated area for up to 48 hours where they
reasonably believe that incidents involving serious violence may take place, or that weapons are being
carried. Once authorisation is given, the implementing officer does not require any grounds to stop a
person or vehicle within the area.
54 P. Keeling, ‘No Respect: Young BAME me, the police and stop and search’ (Criminal Justice Alliance,
2017), p. 20.
55 Home Office ‘Police powers and procedures, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2020’,
(October 2020), p.1.

56 Evidence on the effectiveness of stop and search at reducing violent crime is extremely limited. An
academic review published in early 2018, using ten years of data from London examined the potential
effect of the tactic on different forms of crime. The researchers found that a 10% increase in stop and
search (S&S) was associated with a 0.32% monthly drop in “susceptible crime”—a statistically
significant but very small effect. The authors concluded it “seems likely that S&S has never been
particularly effective in controlling crime”, and yet “police officers believe that S&S is a useful tool of

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