More police could be given hand-held scanners in 'stop and search' reform

The move has been proposed by West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner candidate Jay Singh-Sohal, who claimed stop and search was an "important tool for getting weapons off our streets".

He has called for an increase in use of the controversial Section 60 power, which enables officers to stop, search and question people even if they do not suspect that person of committing a crime.

And he said that allowing officers to use hand-held scanners will be "less invasive" and help to tackle knife crime.

It comes after a report by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary said stop and search was endangering public trust, with forces unable to explain why black people were far more likely to be targeted.

Conservative candidate Mr Singh-Sohal said he wanted to ensure increased use of Section 60 powers, with authority delegated down to local commanders to be able to react quickly to community concerns.

He said the introduction of airport-style hand-held scanners would increase public trust by allowing officers to conduct stop and search in a less invasive manner.

"We can no longer afford to be soft on those who carry weapons," he said.

Robust

"I’ve been listening and seeing the effect rising violent crime has in our communities and on our young people.

"They demand a robust and proactive response from a PCC who is attuned to the needs of our residents as well as how through innovative methods the police can be more effective.

"Stop and search is an important tool for getting weapons off our streets, and I’ll be working with our communities and empowering our police with a raft of measures to ensure we get crime down."

In 2019 some 80 West Midlands Police officers were equipped with metal-detecting "knife wands" in a bid to crack down on soaring knife crime.

David Jamieson, the Labour PCC for the West Midlands, said: "Airport-style knife scanners were introduced in the West Midlands in 2019, I welcome support for the scheme I introduced."

According to official figures, West Midlands Police used stop and search just over 24,000 times between April 2019 and March 2020, up 48 per cent from the previous year.

Around 14 per cent of stop and searches resulted in arrest.

Over the same period, Section 60 powers were used 304 times – down 85 per cent – with an arrest occurring on three per cent of occasions.

West Midlands Police said that between January and May last year 11,064 stop and searches were conducted, resulting in 1,512 arrests and 266 knife recoveries.