improving stop and search?

www.npia.police.uk

Improving the conduct of stop and search

Dr Paul Quinton, NPIAProf Betsy Stanko, Metropolitan PoliceCmdr Tony Eastaugh, Metropolitan Police

www.npia.police.uk

Improving stop and search?

Legitimacy

Effectiveness

Fairness Lawfulness

www.npia.police.uk

Stop and search levels

Source: Bradford 2012

1.3m S&S encounters

www.npia.police.uk

Stop and search arrest rates

Source: Bradford 2012

www.npia.police.uk

Improving effectiveness?

• Limited & inconclusive evidence

• Arrest rate from PACE searches = 9%

S&S numbers = arrest rate

• At force level, there is no association between S&S rates & crime rates

• Focused policing activity in crime hot spots can reduce crime

• Would better targeted S&S be more effective? Would it affect fairness?

www.npia.police.uk

Improving lawfulness?

• Code A focuses on how to conduct a S&S, not when

• Reasonable suspicion is elastic & difficult to define

• The same standard is required for an arrest

• But observational research suggests some searches are based on weak grounds

• Possible reasons? – Officer discretion & low visibility to supervisors– The law not reflecting the realities of policing– Decision-making based on practical rules-of-thumb – The specificity of suspect descriptions & intelligence briefings– Traditional class room based training– Few consequences

www.npia.police.uk

Improving fairness?

• Qualitative research suggests the public’s support for S&S is conditional on:– how S&S is used & targeted by the police– the attitudes & behaviour of the officers involved– the reasons for S&S being valid, genuine & credible

• Negative experiences were more common than positive experiences & more easily remembered

• Key issues for the public: – Experience of officers being patronising, arrogant, aggressive &

intimidating– Not being given a reason for an encounter– Feeling unfairly targeted

www.npia.police.uk

Why is fairness important?

• Experiences of policing shape public motivations to cooperate with police & not break the law

• Fair decision-making & respectful treatment can enhance police legitimacy, which helps to:

– build a sense of shared values – make people feel valued by & part of society – create a sense of obligation & responsibility

• Unfair treatment sends out a clear message…

Our rules do not apply to you – you’re not a valued member of society!

www.npia.police.uk

Legitimacy

Why is fairness important?

Risk of sanction

Moral alignment with police

Compliance &

cooperation

Trust in police effectiveness

Trust in policefairness

Personal morality

Obligation to obey

www.npia.police.uk

Legitimacy

Why is fairness important?

Risk of sanction

Moral alignment with police

Compliance &

cooperation

Trust in police effectiveness

Trust in policefairness

Personal morality

Obligation to obey

www.npia.police.uk

Legitimacy

Why is fairness important?

Risk of sanction

Moral alignment with police

Compliance &

cooperation

Trust in police effectiveness

Trust in policefairness

Personal morality

Obligation to obey

www.npia.police.uk

Legitimacy

Why is fairness important?

Risk of sanction

Moral alignment with police

Compliance &

cooperation

Trust in police effectiveness

Trust in policefairness

Personal morality

Obligation to obey

www.npia.police.uk

Legitimacy

Why is fairness important?

Risk of sanction

Moral alignment with police

Compliance &

cooperation

Trust in police effectiveness

Trust in policefairness

Personal morality

Obligation to obey

www.npia.police.uk

Legitimacy

Why is fairness important?

Risk of sanction

Moral alignment with police

Compliance &

cooperation

Trust in police effectiveness

Trust in policefairness

Personal morality

Obligation to obey

www.npia.police.uk

Legitimacy

National survey results

Risk of sanction

Moral alignment with police

Compliance &

cooperation

Trust in police effectiveness

Trust in policefairness

Personal morality

Obligation to obey

www.npia.police.uk

The impact of S&S on trust

Types of contact Quality of contact Effect on trust in police fairness

Police-initiated Positive Neutral

Negative Negative

Public-initiated Positive Slightly positive

Negative Negative

• The effect of police contact on trust is asymmetrical

• Bad contact is very bad

• Good contact is only a little bit good (at best)

www.npia.police.uk

The bottom line

• By making fair decisions, explaining them & being respectful, the police can encourage people to be more socially responsible

• This is not just about being nice!

• Fair encounters may not be enough – legacy issues & the volume of police contact

• There are significant risks of being unfair

• ‘Trust arrives on foot & leave on horseback’

• What goes around, comes around – fairness at work

www.npia.police.uk

What might help?

• There are significant gaps in the evidence base

• Robust studies are needed to find out ‘what works’

• A newly formed NPIA / MPS collaboration to test an intervention aimed at improving the conduct of S&S

– Scripted encounters? Queensland random breath test experiment

– Practice based & reflective learning? Chicago quality interaction training experiment GMP / NPIA victim contact training experiment

– More active supervision?

– Better targeting towards crime hot spots?