The Met Police has published a new stop and search charter setting out how the contentious tactic is used in the capital. The force has said that stop and search is one of its “most effective” tactics however campaigners have argued the measures have left communities in London traumatised.
The new set of rules has been co-produced following engagement with more than 8,500 Londoners from a range of backgrounds. Around 80 young people were invited to New Scotland Yard to help the Met with the measures. The new charter is the first time a set of formal commitments on how stop and search is carried out has been agreed to and published in this way, the Met said.
In the last four years, 17,500 weapons were seized as a result of stop and search, including at least 3,500 in 2024, it added. The force said that polling shows that up to 68 per cent of Londoners, including young Londoners, support its use. But that support varies depending on who is asked. Many black Londoners have told the Met that stop and search creates tensions between their communities and the police.
The Met also highlighted that people living in the same communities, which are often among those that suffer most from serious violence and drug-related crime, also say they want the Met to do more to keep them safe. Last year a police watchdog said two officers who handcuffed and restrained a 14-year-old black schoolboy on the ground during a stop and search in Croydon committed misconduct.
It comes after outrage over the high-profile case of Child Q, a 15-year-old schoolgirl strip-searched in 2020 having been wrongly accused of possessing cannabis. The girl, who is black, was strip-searched while on her period with no appropriate adult present at a school in Hackney.
Scotland Yard later apologised and three officers are facing allegations of gross misconduct over the search. Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said: “Stop and search is a critical policing tool. Done well, it stops those intent on causing death, injury and fear in our communities.
“It takes dangerous weapons and drugs off our streets and in doing so, it saves lives. “Done badly, it has the potential to burn through trust with those we are here to protect, undermining our founding principle of ‘policing by consent’ and damaging our efforts to keep the public safe.
“The charter is not about doing less stop and search. It is about doing it better by improving the quality of encounters, informed by the views of the public it is intended to protect. “Many of our officers already use their powers in this area very well. They show empathy, they de-escalate and they understand the impact that being stopped and searched can have. They do all that while still recovering dangerous weapons and seizing drugs.
“The charter commits us to supporting all our officers, through improved training, more supervision and better access to technology, so they can meet that high standard their colleagues are setting. “It also gives the community a greater role in the oversight of how, when and where stop and search is used which we hope will help to build trust in a policing tactic that, so often, has been at the root of mistrust.”.
The charter calls for officers to show “basic forms of respect” while carrying out stop and searches and vows to train officers to be more professional and empathetic. It adds that the Met “must listen to the concerns of the community and explain why {Stop and Search] is being used to reduce fear and show that it is being used fairly and without prejudice”.
It also vows to improve the handling of complaints, use technology better, and educate Londoners about the reasons behind stop and search measures. A stop and search charter was recommended following the Casey Review, which was commissioned by the Met after Sarah Everard was kidnapped, raped and murdered by police officer Wayne Couzens.
It found the force was institutionally racist, homophobic and misogynist, and that there might be more officers like Couzens in its ranks. Sir Mark added: “If we are to take the fight to those intent on causing serious violence, fear and intimidation across London then stop and search must form part of that effort.
“If we allow its contentious nature and the concerns associated with it to force us into doing less of it, then only the criminals win. “This charter is particularly powerful because it has been written with communities. We’re immensely grateful to all who stepped forward to work with us. We are committed to this change and to further rebuilding trust by continuing the conversations that have made it possible so far.”.
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