Stop And Search

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STOP AND SEARCH DISCRIMINATION FOR ETHNIC MINORITY IN UK CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM Racism thinking and practice still can be found in UK in the last decade, for example, in the criminal justice system. In the UK criminal justice system, stop and search is the early process that has a critical point whether somebody can be arrested for the next process or not. This short essay will explain the evidence of ethnic based bias for ethnic minority, particularly black people by police officers in the stop and search stage. Stop and search is the most critical points which police officers tend to discriminate ethnic minorities. The obvious examples in the past were when police officers have a power to arrest with ‘sus’ laws, under the 1824 Vagrancy Act (s4 and s6). Many people saw and ethnic minorities felt the abuse of this practice. Police officer stop and search and arrest people based on ‘intent to commit an arrestable offence’ for people grouping in public area. Hunte (1966: 12) mentioned ‘nigger hunting’ activity by junior police officer. Due to this problem, Scarman Report suggested to reform ‘recruitment and training’ because of racism in young police officers. Bowling and phillips (2002: 128-9) mentioned that in the 1970s and 1980s police officers widely practiced using ‘oppressive policing techniques’ in the ethnic minority’s communities, such as ‘ mass stop and search operation, the use of riot squads using semi-military equipment, excessive surveillance, unnecessary armed raid, and police use of racially abusive language.’ For example, Willis (1983) mentioned that black males, adult and young, double to be stopped rather than white. Not only for black people, but also West Indians tripled and Asian five times higher on foot. Smith (1983) also mentioned that, many West Indians have experienced to be stopped ‘for almost any reason and very often for no reason

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