FEWER people are being searched under revised stop and search powers in Scotland while police searches are becoming more effective, a review has found.
Stop and search changes have been “remarkably effective” in reducing the number of police searches, according to an independent study of the powers.
A new code of practice for stop and search powers was introduced in 2017, following concerns about their “counter-productive” overuse.
However, since the guidelines were introduced, there has been a “considerable drop in the number of searches” and officers discover illicit items in a higher proportion of cases.
The review, carried out by the Independent Advisory Group, concluded that “the number of relevant searches has reduced significantly and remains much lower than the point in time when there was concern about overuse of the tactic”.
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