There are a number of laws in place which allow the police to ‘Stop and Search’ people. The most common powers used are under the Misuse of Drugs Act, the Police and Criminal Evidence Act or the Firearms Act. For an overview of these powers and others, as well as how frequently they are used, see here
You or a vehicle that you are in can be stopped and searched if a police officer has reasonable grounds to suspect that you are carrying drugs, weapons, stolen property, or items that could be used to commit a crime.
The officer searching you must explain why you are being searched, what they are looking for, and what law you are being searched under. They must tell you their name or ID (“collar”) number and the police station where they are based. The police officer must offer you a receipt with details of the search.
The police officer will ask you to identify your ethnicity within pre-set categories. This allows the public and the police to monitor whether stop and search powers are being used fairly, proportionately and effectively.
The police officer should treat you respectfully, professionally and with dignity throughout the search.
Know your RightsIf you have been stopped and searched, you can tell the Police and Crime Commissioner and West Midlands Police how it went here.
We run Stop and Search educational classes in schools and at other youth provisions across the West Midlands,
The sessions are designed to help young people understand how Stop and Search helps to keep us safe and to explain to them the rights they have.
The following areas are covered during the workshop:
- When the police can Stop and Search
- How a Stop and Search is conducted
- The reason Stop and Search is used in the West Midlands.
- The rights of young people if they are stopped and searched.
- How to provide feedback and/or complaints and ways to get involved.
If you are interested in having our educational programme delivered to young people where you are, then please contact us.
Stop and search can be a source of tension between the police and the public. As such, the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner is committed to ensuring there are robust checks in place to make sure the police are acting proportionately and within the law.
In recent years West Midlands Police has overhauled its use of the controversial stop and search power. This has led to an increase in its effectiveness across the region. West Midlands Police was one of the first forces to adopt the Home Office’s “best use of stop and search” scheme. As part of the scheme, it introduced a raft of measures to improve its use of the power. Central to the changes is the ‘stop and search’ mapping scheme. The initiative allows the public to see exactly where people are stopped and searched and what the outcome was. It also means that, for the first time, people living in the force area can see details like the ethnicity and age range of those who are stopped and searched.
There are also ongoing projects that are improving scrutiny, teaching young people their rights when stopped and searched, researching disproportionality, and increasing the range of data we publish.
Stop and Search map
You can now track stop and searches that have happened in your area.
