East Cambridgeshire Police to hold stop and search scrutiny group

East Cambridgeshire Police will host a stop and search scrutiny group on Monday July 11.

The session will involve a small group who will be asked to review the grounds that have been used to justify stop and search procedures across the county.

There is one place left on the panel which will meet at Witchford Village College from 2pm to 4pm.

Those attending will be given formal guidance on what constitutes a fair and reasonable search in the eyes of the law and will be invited to scrutinise the grounds specified in individual searches.

The constabulary is seeking feedback on whether the group feels the search was fair, lawful, justified and proportionate.

The panel will choose the stop and search procedures they want to examine most closely before asking questions.

Sergeant Phil Priestley said: “We welcome scrutiny and we welcome accountability.

“This is about giving our communities the ability to hold us to account for the way in which we use our powers to serve their interests.

“This is the first time that the constabulary has hosted a scrutiny group on the subject of grounds for stop and search, and in future it will move around the county to offer a wide cross section of people the opportunity to engage with it.”

If you would like to get involved with the panel, contact Policing East Cambridgeshire on Facebook.