Geoff
31-03-2005, 14:16
People who are stopped by a police officer or PCSO in the street and asked to give personal details will be issued with a form from tomorrow, as part of a national drive to ensure fairness.
Forms for ‘stop and account’ will be issued in the same way existing forms for people who are searched in the street, from tomorrow (April 1).
A copy of the form will be given to the person stopped explaining the reasons why. A further copy will then also sent to the Home Office, allowing them to collate statistics for publication.
ACC Bob Dyson said: “This is a national initiative that all forces are required to comply with and we do so in a spirit of co-operation and enhanced community accountability. Capturing data about who is being stopped, particularly age and ethnicity profiles, can only be a positive step. Primarily it gives us formal data that can be used to reassure the public. We believe strongly that our officers only stop people and ask them to account for themselves for valid reasons, but this data will give us an additional basis for that belief. We already have the same procedure in place for when people are stopped and searched – so this seems the next logical step. ”
Gearing up for the new monitoring system involves training for all operational officers and additional IT systems to manage the data.
ACC Dyson added: “South Yorkshire Police aims to treat everyone fairly and the new ‘stop and account’ rules can only enhance our open and honest approach. We will continue to use our day to day encounters with members of the public as an effective way of investigating and preventing crime, and no doubt law abiding citizens will continue to be reassured by the fact we’re looking out for anything suspicious. The added bonus is that collating figures gives us the opportunity to highlight any issues that do arise. We can then address them swiftly and effectively.”
The forms will usually be completed in the street and should take no longer than a few minutes to fill in. They will not lead to the creation of a criminal record.
ACC Dyson added: “Nothing has changed with regard to how we use the information. We use intelligence to fight crime. It’s just that where the information would once have gone in an officer’s personal pocket book, a copy will now be shared with the person stopped, and the home office so that they can monitor statistics and ensure accountability. ”
Forms for ‘stop and account’ will be issued in the same way existing forms for people who are searched in the street, from tomorrow (April 1).
A copy of the form will be given to the person stopped explaining the reasons why. A further copy will then also sent to the Home Office, allowing them to collate statistics for publication.
ACC Bob Dyson said: “This is a national initiative that all forces are required to comply with and we do so in a spirit of co-operation and enhanced community accountability. Capturing data about who is being stopped, particularly age and ethnicity profiles, can only be a positive step. Primarily it gives us formal data that can be used to reassure the public. We believe strongly that our officers only stop people and ask them to account for themselves for valid reasons, but this data will give us an additional basis for that belief. We already have the same procedure in place for when people are stopped and searched – so this seems the next logical step. ”
Gearing up for the new monitoring system involves training for all operational officers and additional IT systems to manage the data.
ACC Dyson added: “South Yorkshire Police aims to treat everyone fairly and the new ‘stop and account’ rules can only enhance our open and honest approach. We will continue to use our day to day encounters with members of the public as an effective way of investigating and preventing crime, and no doubt law abiding citizens will continue to be reassured by the fact we’re looking out for anything suspicious. The added bonus is that collating figures gives us the opportunity to highlight any issues that do arise. We can then address them swiftly and effectively.”
The forms will usually be completed in the street and should take no longer than a few minutes to fill in. They will not lead to the creation of a criminal record.
ACC Dyson added: “Nothing has changed with regard to how we use the information. We use intelligence to fight crime. It’s just that where the information would once have gone in an officer’s personal pocket book, a copy will now be shared with the person stopped, and the home office so that they can monitor statistics and ensure accountability. ”