Stop and search
Kent Police use stop and search to prevent and reduce crime. Our priority is always to keep people safe. Stop and search is an important policing power that is not used lightly. Police officers will only stop and search a member of the public when they suspect criminal activity – this could involve looking for weapons, drugs, or stolen property.
Section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 is different to normal stop and search. Section 60 gives police the right to search people without reasonable grounds. This can only happen in a defined area at a specific time when a senior officer believes there is a possibility of serious violence or weapons being carried or used.
Latest stop and search information
View the latest stop and search figures showing the number of searches in Kent.
Data includes:
- the ethnicity of the person searched
- the outcome of the search
- the number of arrests after the search
Scrutiny
Independent Policing Powers Panel
The Independent Policing Powers Panel meet every three months to ensure fairness to everyone who is stop and searched by a Kent Police officer. We do this to improve public confidence and trust in Kent Police.
The meetings are Chaired by the Independent Advisory Group and the Assistant Chief Constable who is the strategic lead. Representatives from the Staff Safety Training Unit and Professional Standards Department also attend. On occasions, members of the force from the relevant department attend to use their local knowledge to scrutinise a selection of stop and search forms.
The panel look at how we can improve performance in:
- data collection and analytical review
- training and equipment
- officer performance
- public scrutiny around body worn video
Performance data for stop and search is available for the panel to view and ask questions about. The Panel will provide feedback, highlighting any areas of concern or good practice which improves both individual officer and organisational learning.
HMICFRS stop and search inspections
All police forces across England and Wales have stop and search inspections by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS). The HMICFRS independently assess the effectiveness and efficiency of police forces.
For further information on the most recent stop and search inspections, you can view the HMICFRS stop and search inspections page.
For further information on HMICFRS, please visit their website.
Super complaint 2021
In May 2021, the Criminal Justice Alliance (CJA) submitted a super-complaint. A super complaint is a complaint where “a feature, or combination of features, of policing in England and Wales by one or more police force is, or appears to be, significantly harming the interests of the public”.
The super-complaint system examines problems of local, regional, or national significance that may not be addressed by existing complaints systems. The super-complaint, entitled ‘More harm than good’, raises the CJA’s concerns about “harm caused by ‘suspicion-less’ stop and searches and inadequate scrutiny of stop and search powers”.
The ‘suspicion-less’ stop and searches to which the CJA refers are those the police carry out using their powers under section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.