3rd February 2005

Kent Police has introduced a new method of recording why police officers stop and question people.

From February 1 st, police officers in Kent now make a written record of the people that they stop and ask to account for their presence, actions or possessions of items and a copy of the record is given to the person who is stopped. Previously, police in Kent recorded only the result from stopping and searching someone.

Police can stop vehicles and pedestrians and speak to people about where they have been or what they have seen. They can, in some circumstances, search people to prevent or detect certain types of crime. From now on, a written record will include the reason for the stop, the outcome and the self-defined ethnic identity of the person stopped.

Kent has implemented the changes ahead of the national deadline of April 2005. They were originally recommended by the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry Report (published in February 1999) and have been piloted in several other police forces.

Assistant Chief Constable David Ainsworth said that the written record would be further reassurance to the public.