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By Lord Morris of Handsworth - 20th October 2011
Lord Morris of Handsworth argues that changes to stop-and-search powers undermine police accountability and may encourage racial and ethnic stereotyping by police.
In February 1999, the Macpherson Inquiry, which had been established following the murder of Stephen Lawrence, made 70 recommendations requiring greater police accountability and extending the number of offences classified as racist.
Among these recommendations was that records of all stop-and-search operations should be published, and a copy of the record given to the persons involved. These records confirm what campaigners have always known – that black people were more likely to be stopped and searched than white people.
In February changes to the stop-and-search powers were passed in Parliament, including a substantial reduction of the information recorded on stop-and-search forms, making it impossible to measure repeat stops and harassment.
Until the changes were made, police forces had to keep records when someone was stopped, even if no search was made. They no longer have this duty, which will make it impossible to determine if stop powers are being used disproportionately and remove the scrutiny of stop practices by local communities.
In September, the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination was critical of these changes. The committee was concerned that "these measures may not only encourage racial and ethnic stereotyping by police officers but may also encourage impunity and fail to promote accountability in the police service for possible abuses".
The committee requested that the government provide in its next periodic report to them "detailed statistical data disaggregated by ethnicity and community origin on the use of stop-and-search powers and its effectiveness in crime prevention".
Last year the Equality and Human Rights Commission issued the threat of legal action to five police forces, including the Metropolitan Police, over their disproportionate use of stop-and-search powers against people from ethnic minorities. It is no longer possible for an organisation such as the Commission to hold such forces to account for any future misdemeanours because of the diminished accountability of police forces which is expected to result from the decision of the Home Office.
Bill Morris is the former general secretary of the Transport and General Workers' Union (1992-2003) and was the first black leader of a trade union. He was raised to the peerage in 2006 as Baron Morris of Handsworth and sits on the Labour benches.
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