Stop and Search: The Brief

Scene setter

In this challenge you will take on the guise of an investigative journalist filing a report on stop and search for a young persons newspaper. You studied law and pride yourself on using your legal mind to produce robust news pieces that are backed up with facts and evidence - and to make complex issues simple. You believe the black community is disproportionately targeted by police officers, and are aware that it is a highly emotive issue. You will keep this in mind as you navigate the information you have to hand - determined to provide a balanced piece with a well-thought through recommendation for change.   

The Law

Read the relevant sections of the law. Don't be put off by legal jargon, this is simply for you to get a feel for the law in this area.

Some data

The latest government figures on Stop and Search, published in February 2021, indicated:  

  • between April 2019 and March 2020, there were 563,837 stop and searches in England and Wales (excluding vehicle searches)
  • there were 11 stop and searches for every 1,000 people, down from 25 per 1,000 people in the year ending March 2010
  • there were 6 stop and searches for every 1,000 White people, compared with 54 for every 1,000 Black people
  • stop and search rates have fallen for every ethnic group since 2009

Mani's Story

Read this BBC article (PDF, 254kB) which leads onto a case study of Mani Arthur who was stopped and searched by police for suspected cannabis posession in 2019 , to help deepen your understanding of the impact of stop and search on those that have experienced it first hand.  Whilst reading, it is important that you consider all sides of the story. Thinking like a lawyer means looking at the facts and presenting a balanced argument for change. It is also important that you Read why police use stop and search (PDF, 94kB)

New recommendations

In March 2021, the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities released its annual report. (PDF, 236kB) The report comes at a pivotal moment for the UK's race debate and, at the outset, the authors of the report outline the need to place that debate on objective and democratic foundations – ones that include people of goodwill, of all races and ethnicities.  We have provided you with an excerpt. You need to read the full recommendations for Theme 1: Building Trust - and create a call to action by summarising just one of the recommendations that best supports the argument you are putting forward for your article.

Pulling it all together

Once you've read all the background information, check out the 'creating a journalistic article' check list to help clarify your thinking and formalise the ideas for your story. Keep in mind that this article will aim to educate a younger generation of the issues surrounding stop and search, how much has been done to date - and what the next step needs to be.