Stop and search always makes unwelcome reading. The statistic appears to be out of proportion. The data that will help us make an informed view would require a lot more information. We need to know:
The number of stop and searches made;
The number of times the same person has been stopped;
he number of stop and searches resulting in police action;
The number of police actions as a result of stop and search resulting in cautions;
The number of police actions as a result of stop and search resulting in convictions.
We also need to know if an individual has been stopped many times resulting in no police action, no caution and no conviction.
It is also important that the data is broken down by towns.
To my knowledge Wiltshire Police doesn't have a 'critical friend' made up of community members and groups.
I would recommend to Wiltshire Police starting an IAG (Independent Advisory Group). The purpose of the group would be to be critical when things don't go well and make recommendations to improve and praise where due. There needs to be an independent group scrutinising the delivery of service by the police.
One must remember on the whole our police do a great job. It would be great to remove historical negative perception through a scrutiny panel similar to IAG.
Farzana Saker, Bainton Close, Bradford on Avon.
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