Stop and search for weapons

[Geoff Settle]

Given the on going levels of street violence in Warrington with knives, screwdrivers and other potential weapons should the police be doing more stop and searches?

[Mary]

I read that article on the UK page today - I do not know what your laws are concerning this - people over here can be searched if the police suspect anything.

[observer]

Wasn't aware that the "SUS" Laws had been repealed? :confused:

[Mary]

Here is the article to which we I was referring:

More people from ethnic minorities must be stopped and searched if Britain is to win the fight against violent crime, according to one of the country's top black police officers.

 

Keith Jarrett, president of the National Black Police Association, is to call for an increase in the policing strategy in black communities to combat inner-city gun and knife crime.

 

The Observer reports that in a speech at the group's annual conference in Bristol this week, Mr Jarrett will ask Police Minister Tony McNulty and Sir Ian Blair, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, to consider increasing stop-and-searches among black people to reduce the number of shootings that have claimed the lives of another two teenagers in the past week.

 

The association, which represents thousands of officers from ethnic minorities, has previously questioned the high proportion of black people stopped and searched by police.

 

The Macpherson Report in February 1999 into the murder of black teenager Stephen Lawrence condemned the use of stop-and-search.

 

The tactic was blamed by many for precipitating the inner-city race riots of the 1980s.

 

Mr Jarrett told The Observer: "From the return that I am getting from a lot of black people, they want to stop these killings, these knife crimes, and if it means their sons and daughters are going to be inconvenienced by being stopped by the police, so be it.

 

"We have talked about disproportionate use of stop-and-search in the past, but what I am proposing is quite the reverse. The black community is telling me that we have to have a look at this."

 

Mr Jarrett told the newspaper he would not oppose a random use of stop-and-search when officers had "reasonable suspicion" an offence had been committed.

[observer]

It's not a black and white issue: with kids flying around housing estates carrying lethal weapons; it seems a fairly reasonable proposition that coppers should be able to stop and search anyone - problem is; where are the coppers?!

[Evil Sid]

probably all in seminars debating what "reasonable suspicion" consists of and of what constitutes a "potential weapon" (just about anything if you have ever watched a jackie chan movie) :thinker:

 

[ 22.10.2007, 12:02: Message edited by: Evil Sid ]

[Bill]

Wasn't the problem that most of the gang and weapon related issues were occurring in young black groupings i.e. the very same groups that were claiming police discrimination.

[harry hayes]

A recurring topic. Have posted before that in the 70s gangs of youths from the two big cities descended on us and caused mayhem.

 

We coralled them at central station and on the streets outside conducting many searches. Problem solved.

 

Police will alwqays target those people who they think are responsible for crime - in this town it was young people in fast cars. Would have been grannies if monty pythons sketch had taken over.

 

The problem is that no-one then checked your work for PCorrectness and you didn,t have to make out forms everytime you searched someone.

 

People always say about various things "if you can save one life it is worth doing" - stop and search would save many.

 

Happy days