he Met BPA Chair has welcomed the announcement that the Metropolitan Police Service is one of the 43 forces that have signed up to the new codes of conduct on the use of stop and search powers.
Mrs Janet Hills stated “It’s about time that the government got a grip of how this piece of legislations has been used by police. Giving the public more of a say in the use of the power and making the police more accountable will hopefully see a reduction in its disproportionate use against the Black and Asian communities.”
The use of stop and search has been a contentious issue for many years with a recent report by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabularies finding that a quarter of stops may have been carried out illegally. There is no doubt that the misuse of stop and search has driven a wedge between the black communities and police that has often been cited by the community as one of the reasons for rioting over the years.
The Chair stated “It’s important that there is transparency about the way in which stop and search is used so that the benefits of keeping our communities safe and reducing crime are realised by all”
For more information on ‘Know Your Rights’ contact the Met BPA office or go to www.bpactrust.org.uk/get-involved/know-your-rights