Page 96 - JUSTICE Tackling Racial Injustice - Children and the Youth Justice System

Policing providing guidelines on such processes. 267 This has led to the
establishment of Community Scrutiny Panels (CSPs) in different force areas,
albeit with inconsistencies in effectiveness from area to area. 268

4.46 CSPs are made up of members of the public that meet regularly each year to
scrutinise the police’s use of stop and search powers. CSPs also have the ability
to hold the police to account for their use of stop and search, for example, 269
by reviewing incidents of stop and search after they have happened, giving
each stop a rating. While we are concerned by overall inconsistencies across
the country, we have equally seen many examples of good practice that show
how effective CSPs can be when properly implemented. For example, in
Bedfordshire the scrutiny panel has the opportunity to review an area’s ‘section
60’ designation in advance of its application. Although they have no power to
stop a section 60 notice, the process has led to some instances where the police
have agreed that the power was not necessary.

Community Scrutiny Panels – Examples of Good Practice

Bedfordshire
The CSP uses a traffic light system to ‘rate’ officers’ use of stop and search.
Where a search is graded green, the officer is provided with positive feedback.
If amber, the officer is given advice on how to improve. A red-graded search
will be escalated to the Chief Inspector, the officer in question and the police
force lead, in order to provide direct accountability and management action.
Feedback is provided at the next panel meeting.

Northamptonshire
Each month, stop and search records are sifted by a Sergeant and grounds
which are not clearly and immediately identifiable as reasonable are presented
to the Reasonable Grounds Panel. If the Panel finds there were no reasonable
grounds for the search, the officer in question is informed and a process of

267 College of Policing, Authorised Professional Practice, ‘Stop and Search: Transparent’.
268 K. Kaylan and P. Keeling, ‘Stop & Scrutinise: How to improve community policing of stop and
search’ Criminal Justice Alliance, 2019. Key principles from this report were taken onboard and
incorporated in updated College on Policing App on community scrutiny and engagement - Transparent
see College of Policing, ‘Stop and Search: Transparent’.
269 K. Kalyan and P. Keeling, Stop & Search: how to improve community scrutiny of stop and search,
2019, p.6.

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