Suella Braverman urges police to ‘ramp up’ stop and searches to stamp out knife crime on Britain’s streets
- Stop and searches were curtailed by Theresa May amid discrimination concerns
Suella Braverman has urged police to ‘ramp up’ use of stop and search in a crackdown on street knife crime.
The Home Secretary said officers should make broader use of the controversial powers and arrest anyone who obstructs police from using them.
She also urged forces to quickly publish footage from their body-worn cameras to avoid ‘trial by social media’, arguing that mobile phone clips posted online often capture a fraction of an encounter and can give a misleading view of an incident.
Stop-and-search tactics were curtailed in 2014 by Theresa May when she was home secretary amid concerns they were being used disproportionately against black and Asian people.
Suella Braverman (pictured on June 15) has urged police to ‘ramp up’ use of stop and search in a crackdown on street knife crime
Mrs Braverman’s move continues a turnaround started by her predecessor Priti Patel, who reversed Mrs May’s restrictions last spring.
‘The police have my full support to ramp up the use of stop and search, wherever necessary, to prevent violence and save more lives,’ Mrs Braverman said.
‘Every death from knife crime is a tragedy.
Stop-and-search tactics were curtailed in 2014 by Theresa May when she was home secretary amid concerns they were being used disproportionately against black and Asian people
‘That’s why I also back the police in tackling this blight in communities which are disproportionately affected, such as among young black males.’
In a letter to all chief constables in England and Wales today, she urges police to arrest and investigate anyone unlawfully obstructing a stop and search.
It is understood a member of the public would have to attempt ‘physical and violent’ obstruction in order to face arrest, rather than simply filming a stop and search.
Forces should consider publishing video of a full stop and search from officers’ body-worn cameras, Mrs Braverman added.
In the year to March last year, 99 young people died in knife attacks in England and Wales, of whom 31 were black.
DailyMail
