West Midlands Police get knife crime red tape boost
PLANS to make it easier for police to stop and search suspects are to be bought forward, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has announced.
West Midlands Police is one of ten forces piloting the new scheme, which is being introduced in areas with high levels of knife crime.
From the end of October, officers will no longer need to fill in lengthy forms every time they stop someone.
The reform, which ministers say will cut police red tape, had been due to come into force next year.
Critics of the change have claimed that it could lead to animosity between the police and residents if ethnic minorities are seen to be targetted.
Instead of filling in forms, police will instead use radio technology to record any encounter, including the ethnicity of the person they stop.
The person concerned will receive a card receipt setting out what to do if they are not satisfied with the way they were treated.
Ms Smith (Lab, Redditch) said: “I am determined to support our police officers so that they spend more time saving lives on our streets.
“Giving police the means to dramatically reduce form-filling bureaucracy in these ten priority areas will free up valuable officer time to further clamp down on knife crime.”
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