Greater transparency over stop and search

Greater Manchester Police has signed up to a new stop and search scheme designed to build greater transparency and community involvement in the use of stop and search powers.

The voluntary ‘best use of stop and search’ scheme was launched by the Home Office earlier this year and will be adopted by GMP from today, 1 December 2014.

In line with the scheme, GMP has raised the threshold required to authorise a section 60 ‘no suspicion’ stop and search – the blanket power to stop and search people in anticipation of serious violence without any prior suspicion that a person may be carrying weapons – to Assistant Chief Constable or higher. Previously an Inspector or above could authorise them,

GMP has also committed to only use section 60 stops when absolutely necessary, and to make this clear to the public. A section 60 authority can only be in place for 15 hours (previously it was 24) and, in anticipation of serious violence, officers must now believe that violence ‘will’ take place in a specific area, rather than ‘may’.

Other elements of the scheme include a ‘community complaints trigger’ – if there are large numbers of complaints, GMP will have to explain to people how and why the stop and search powers are being used.

GMP will also provide opportunities for members of the public to accompany police officers on patrol to see how they use stop and search.