The formation of suspicions: police stop and search practices in England and Wales

Abstract

This paper explores the interpretative practices of the police when carrying out stops and searches. Drawing on ethnographic research carried out in England and Wales, a conceptual framework is developed to understand how officers become suspicious and decide to initiate encounters. It is argued that officers use tacit knowledge to make sense of new situations and determine what action to take, and base their suspicions on signals they come across on patrol. In examining these social processes, the paper shows that categories and stereotypes are central to decision-making which result in a police focus on the socially marginal. Looking beyond the immediate influences on officer action, the paper also explores the role played by the law in regulating police practice.

Keywords:

• police-initiated contact
• suspicion
• discretion
• stereotyping

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Nigel Fielding and Martin Innes for their support during my doctoral research. I am also grateful to Ben Bowling, Simon Holdaway, Paul Johnson, Robert Reiner and Layla Skinns for their comments. This paper was written by the author in a personal capacity. His views do not represent those of the National Policing Improvement Agency (his employer) or the Home Office (who part-funded his studies).