S1E6 - Stop and Search

PLOD - Police Law On Demand

In the year to March 2019, police forces in England and Wales recorded more than 47,000 offences involving knives: an 8% increase year on year and the highest total since records began. One way of trying to tackle this increase in violent crime is by the use of stop and search. Why is stop and search so controversial? What does the College of Policing Guidance define as appropriate use of stop and search powers? The Government has recently authorised enhanced stop and search powers as part of the efforts to crack down on knife crime. What are these enhanced powers? What are Knife Crime Prevention Orders and how will they be used in practice?
In this podcast, Solicitor Deborah Britstone and Barrister James Berry discuss the powers available to police officers to stop and search and the circumstances in which these powers should be used.