The independent group established by Matthew Ellis, Staffordshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), to strengthen public scrutiny of policing is turning the spotlight on the way police use stop and search powers.
The Ethics, Transparency and Audit (ETA) Panel was launched under the ‘New Dawn of Transparency’ agenda by Mr Ellis and aims for policing in Staffordshire to be the most open and transparent in the country.
The seven members of the public who sit on the ETA Panel meet regularly to monitor the work of police including how crime is recorded and how complaints from the public are dealt with.
The latest piece of work the Commissioner has asked the panel to carry out is a review of how ‘stop and search’ is used by police in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent. ETA Panel members are scrutinising stop and search records to make sure the powers are being used appropriately, that individuals who are stopped are properly informed of their rights and that the reasons for using stop and search are clearly recorded.
Mr Ellis said: “Stop and search is an important police power but can seriously harm public confidence in the police when used wrongly.
“Because of this, it’s an obvious area for the ETA Panel to scrutinise to make sure stop and search is being used appropriately in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.
“As shown with its recent review of Taser use in Staffordshire, providing the ETA Panel with wide-ranging and rigorous powers to examine such crucial areas of policing means police accountability is stronger than ever before.
“We’re looking for more members of the public to step forward and get involved in this vital work and will be launching local ETA panels in the coming months.”
The scrutiny was scheduled before the Home Secretary launched a new scheme to reform police use of stop and search powers last month, highlighting the importance of the issue to public confidence in policing nationally.
Assistant Chief Constable Bernie O’Reilly, from Staffordshire Police, said: “The use of stop and search is an important tactic for our officers dealing with local crime issues, but it’s also vital that the communities have confidence that we are using this in a fair and proportionate way. We welcome the involvement of the Ethics, Transparency and Audit Panel in this important area.”
The report on stop and search by the ETA Panel will be published in the next few weeks.
People interested in joining the ETA Panel can find more details at www.staffordshire-pcc.gov.uk/eta
