StopWatch

24/08/2026

How are the police using stop and search in your local area?

The Police Race Action Plan pledged to address racial disproportionality in police use of powers, including stop and search. Today we have launched our interactive stop and search tracker to promote transparency and accountability of how stop and search powers are used.

The dashboard provides a breakdown of the ethnicity of all those stopped and searched relative to their representation of the local population by police force area, the reason for the stop and search, and the outcome of the search. Link in bio

06/08/2026

The IOPC decision to drop misconduct proceedings against Chris Kaba's killer was disappointing but not surprising.

The police used his death as a way to roll back the already very small amount of accountability for officers who use fatal force.

There is now virtually no accountability as a result of the government overturning a Supreme Court decision in the face of pressure from fi****ms officers.

This is seen as a triumph for the police, yet how can even lower standards of accountability be seen as anything but unsafe for citizens?

31/07/2026

📢 Our July 2026 newsletter is live!

This month we cover the disturbing story of yet another Black child suffering excessive force at the hands of the police, and the even more deplorable response from the Met.

We also dive into the scandal erupting in Norfolk following the release of damning bodycam footage exposing racist stop and search practice of its officers.

🔗 Link in bio to subscribe

28/07/2026

06/07/2026

Today we attended a parliamentary event hosted by End Violence Against Women and Beyond Equality

We raised how the government's policing strategy response to VAWG fails to address the systemic issue of sexism and misogyny in policing which was raised by the Casey Review.

Policies such as stalking protection orders are unable to tackle the issue until forces confront persistent misuse of police powers against women and girls, including their greater subjection to multiple strip searches relative to men.

As a bare minimum first step to this end, we call on the Home Office to publish the data it holds on multiple strip searches at the force-level so that forces can be held accountable for patterns of disproportionality.

23/04/2026

The new report from the Children’s Commissioner into child strip search exposed disturbing, if not surprising, statistics.

Black children are more likely:
🟢 to be strip searched
🟢 to have force used during a strip search
🟢 to have force used against them due to "their size or build"

Responses to the report call for a "child-centred approach" but that is not enough. Children should be able to live their lives free from police, and any attempt to normalise police contact with children only fails them.

31/03/2026

📢 Our March 2026 newsletter is now live

In this edition, we cover:

🟢 the lack of progress on tackling violence against women and girls
🟢 fraud at the Police Federation
🟢 the failure of forces to address racism complaints against their officers
.. and much more

🔗 Link in bio to subscribe

27/03/2026

📣 Our bystanders guide is now live!

This first of its kind guide provides practical tips and guidance on what you can do when you witness a stop and search and how you can safely help the person being searched.

Produced alongside with input from:
➡️ our volunteers
➡️ our community engagement group
➡️
➡️ community event

The guide explains why we need bystanders, how a stop and search should happen, and the different ways you can be an active bystander.

Bystanders can be a vital tool in holding police accountable, but only if they feel empowered to do so in a safe way. Our guide provides the tools to do that.

🔗 Link in bio for the digital version
📧 Email [email protected] to receive free print copies

10/03/2026

A new study, commissioned by MOPAC, has found racial disproportionality in stop and search to be as prevalent as ever.

In a review of over 150,000 stop and search records, some shocking findings were made, including:
- Black people are up to 48 times more likely to be stopped and searched in affluent areas of London
- Violence being mentioned in grounds to search significantly more for Black people than white people, even when the searches were of the same type

Yet, these findings remain unsurprising for those who have monitored the Met in recent decades. Racial profiling is part and parcel of how the force operates, and until this is rooted out, we will continue to see similar reports for years to come.

28/02/2026

📢 Our February 2026 newsletter is now live

In this issue we cover the government's slightly more nuanced statements on weapons violence among young people, rafts of announcements of more funding for policing, police hopes for AI and much more...

🔗 Link in bio to subscribe