Page 97 - JUSTICE Tackling Racial Injustice - Children and the Youth Justice System

escalating support and consequences ensues. In the first instance, the officer
and their supervisor are offered training. In the second instance, this training
becomes mandatory. In the third instance, the officer and the supervisor are
suspended from using stop and search until a specific development plan
has been completed.

Cheshire
Panel members can challenge where the quality of a stop and search is
questionable and the police provide an update at the next meeting. Cheshire
Police has also commissioned academic research to gather views from people
subjected to stop and search in Cheshire, prioritising ‘call-backs’ to BAME
people who have been stopped and searched.

London Borough of Croydon
Another Night of Sisterhood (ANOS) is a grassroots community organisation
in Croydon. ANOS works with the police and local CSP to deliver unconscious
bias training and organise community meetings with adults and children/young
adults on the issue of stop and search. They encourage open and honest
dialogue with the police about the historical and current relationship between
the police and BAME communities and how to rebuild trust.

4.47 However, we are aware of concerns that CSP members may, in some cases, be
more punitive than the police forces, meaning opportunities for learning may
be lost. This could be exacerbated where scrutiny panels do not reflect the full
diversity of their community, especially those groups that are stopped and
searched the most. For instance, on the Edgware Road in London, Kurdish
boys form a large number of those stopped and searched, with the relevant CSP
lacking a single Kurdish member. We have seen that CSP members tend to be
older and White, possibly due to having increased availability in retirement to
take on a voluntary role.

4.48 These concerns highlight the importance of consistent practice with strong
community input to mitigate any biased outcomes. For this to happen, we
recommend that the College of Policing’s guidance on CSPs should
become mandatory, combined with the establishment of a national
oversight body for CSPs. This would monitor CSPs and ensure they are
adhering to guidance and best practice. This guidance should require that
CSPs:

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