The Governance of Stop and Search

As Police Scotland has publicly stated, stop and search has an impact on the privacy and liberty of individuals. As such, the Code of Practice notes that every person who is stopped and searched should be provided with a
receipt following the completion of a search. An individual is eligible to request a copy of their stop and search information within six months of the search taking place.

The principle of accountability of officers’ actions guides the use of the stop and search tactic in Scotland. Thorough oversight is in place to monitor Police Scotland’s use of the tactic following the search taking
place.

As reported by Police Scotland, assurance at the local level starts with the requirement for every stop and search to be recorded on the National Stop and Search Database, with every record reviewed by a local supervisor to confirm compliance with the Code of Practice. When an individual is subject to stop and search, the police officer will record information about the individual, which includes:

• Age

• Gender

• Ethnicity

• The location of the search

• Whether the search is positive or negative (a search is categorised as ‘positive’ if an item is recovered from an individual during stop and search which implies criminality, and ‘negative’ if nothing is recovered)

• The powers under which the search is being conducted

• Whether the individual has been issued with a receipt

The National Stop and Search database is subject to data quality checks, and there is regular dip sampling of records. Monthly reports are also shared with Local Commanders to enable further local scrutiny. In addition to local-level monitoring, the Police Scotland National Stop and Search Unit (NSSU) report monthly to the relevant Assistant Chief Constable (ACC), with this ACC Chairing a bi-annual Mainstreaming Assurance Group. This group contains external stakeholders including the Authority, the Scottish Institute for Policing Research (SIPR) and the Scottish Government.