Diane Condemns Revival of Stop and Search

MP Diane Abbott today criticised the call by the President of the Black Police Association to step up the use of Stop and Search methods in crime prevention.

Ms Abbott, who lead the campaign to end Stop and Search in the 80s and 90s, spoke out after it emerged yesterday that Keith Jarrett will ask government ministers to lead such an approach during the National Black Police Association’s annual conference. The controversial method was found by the Home Office to lead to six times more Black than White people being stopped by police.

Condemning Mr Jarrett’s suggestion Ms Abbott said:

“I am very surprised that such a senior policeman should make these remarks. Black people have never approached me in support of this method and I live in a multi-ethnic, high crime area. As far as I can tell there is no evidence to suggest that Stop and Search is an effective way to detect criminals. All it does is to inflame police community relations. The lesson we have learnt from Stop and Search in the past is that it inevitably leads to racial profiling. The police should instead concentrate on intelligence-led policing and building links with all communities to enable them to be genuinely effective at fighting crime.”

 

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