Probe launched into Staffordshire Police stop and search powers

The police and crime commissioner for the county, Matthew Ellis, has brought together the group which will carry out an investigation to see if the police are using the powers properly.

Stop and search has been criticised in the past by community leaders as they believe officers have targeted particular ethnic groups unfairly.

The move was drawn up before all 43 police forces in England and Wales agreed over summer to adopt a new voluntary government code of conduct on the use of their powers to stop and search members of the public.

Seven people sit on the new ethics, transparency and audit panel for Staffordshire which will look at the issue in a bid to increase openness and transparency.

Members will meet regularly to monitor the work of police including how crime is recorded and how complaints from the public are dealt with.

The group will be scrutinising stop and search records to make sure the powers are being used appropriately, that individuals who are stopped are properly informed of their rights and that the reasons for using stop and search are clearly recorded.

Mr Ellis said: "Stop and search is an important police power but can seriously harm public confidence in the police when used wrongly.

"Because of this, it's an obvious area for the ETA Panel to scrutinise to make sure stop and search is being used appropriately in Staffordshire."

Assistant Chief Constable Bernie O'Reilly, from Staffordshire Police, said: "The use of stop and search is an important tactic for our officers dealing with local crime issues, but it's also vital that the communities have confidence that we are using this in a fair and proportionate way. We welcome the involvement of the Ethics, Transparency and Audit Panel in this important area."

Earlier this year figures showed that taser stun guns were brandished more than 600 times in nine years by Staffordshire police officers.

It equated to them being brandished 33 times per 100 officers, the highest rate in the country, according to a national report by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) .

Mr Ellis also launched a probe into their use conducted by the ETA panel and plans were later drawn up for officers to wear body cameras when they brandish the guns.

He added: "As shown with its recent review of Taser use in Staffordshire, providing the ETA panel with wide-ranging and rigorous powers to examine such crucial areas of policing means police accountability is stronger than ever before.

"We're looking for more members of the public to step forward and get involved in this vital work and will be launching local ETA panels in the coming months."

The report on stop and search by the ETA Panel will be published in the next few weeks.