Law and order: Police stop nearly 2m for questioning in year

The police used their powers to stop members of the public in the street and demand they account for themselves on nearly 2m occasions in the year 2006-07, according to Ministry of Justice figures published yesterday. The statistics, issued for the first time, reveal the scale of police use of "stop and account" powers. They show that black people are two and a half times more likely than white people to be questioned by the police on the street. The use of the powers, and the need for police officers to complete a 30cm-long form on every occasion they stop someone, sparked political controversy earlier this year and led to a pledge from the home secretary, Jacqui Smith, to find new ways of recording each stop. A Home Office green paper on the future of policing, to be published next week, will replace the forms with new... [read full story]