Stop and search in global context: an overview

Abstract

Reflecting on the evidence presented in this collection, this overview explores the purposes for which stop and search powers are deployed, whether their use can be described as effective and whether the infringements of liberty and privacy that stop and search entails can be justified. We conclude by considering the impact of stop and search on citizenship and mobility and examining questions of fairness, legitimacy and justice.

Keywords:

• stop and search
• police powers
• social contract
• racial profiling
• police accountability

Notes

1. Some searches – for example covert searches of belongings and electronic searches using ion scanning or ultrasound ‘electronic strip searches’ – can be carried out without stopping someone. Bowling and Phillips (2007, p. 940).