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Full article published in: International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice Volume 74, September 2023
To read more
Investigating the police use of stop
and search in England and Wales
during the coronavirus pandemic
Dr. Eric Halford
Assistant Professor
Policing & Security Program
Rabdan Academy
In this study we examine the use of the police stop and search tactic
for preventing and investigating crime and as a method for
maintaining order, during periods of national lockdown in England
and Wales during the covid-19 global pandemic. By using time series
modelling on data for all recorded stop and search over a 5-year
period, we identify that of the 24 areas we examined, 16 saw the
volume of stop and search increase significantly during lockdown
periods. Significant findings included a rise in the overall volume of
stop and search, and searches for controlled drugs. This is unusual
given the reductions in crime and traditional police demand during
the pandemic, creating somewhat of a paradox.
We discuss this further and suggest that this can be reconciled by
considering the possibility that the police have used the tactic of stop
and search as a tool to maintain order during the pandemic, and
specifically adherence to national lockdowns. This position is
supported by the academic literature, an absence in associated
recorded crime, correlations in the application of FPNs during the
same period, and an increased volume of searches that resulted in no
further action.
Research & Innovation
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Volume 1 l Issue 2 - 2023