Abstract / Description of output
This article investigates the development of modern stop and search powers in post-war Britain—namely, the legal rules that allow police officers to stop and search a person based on reasonable suspicion, and as an adjunct to a specific offence. The article traces the rise of a preventative outlook premised on police power, rather than police presence, and demonstrates how, against a backdrop of political consensus and stability, the preventative principle gradually acquired the status of taken-for-granted knowledge, albeit uneasily at first. The analysis shows how the balance between crime control and individual freedom quietly shifted in favour of the state, in a move that would carry significant implications for policing in the decades ahead. The article concludes that whilst noisy politics and policies rightly attract academic attention, it is arguably in the quieter periods that more deep-seated and enduring transformations are likely to take place.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 588-605 |
Number of pages | 18 |
Journal | The British Journal of Criminology: An International Review of Crime and Society (BJC) |
Volume | 58 |
Issue number | 3 |
Early online date | 23 Jun 2017 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 6 Apr 2018 |
Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)
- stop and search
- crime prevention
- police powers
- parliament