The majority of stop searches undertaken in Scotland are non-statutory, that is, premised on verbal consent. This briefing examines the use of non-statutory stop and search by Strathclyde police force between 2005 and 2010. The briefing addresses questions in relation to informed consent, legal rights, searching young people and the aims of the tactic.
The analysis is based on police stop and search records (which predate the Police Scotland merger in April 2013), research interviews, and policy literature. The research was undertaken as part of an ESRC/Scottish Government funded doctoral project on stop and search in Scotland. The commentaries in the briefing are based on the more detailed SCCJR report
Stop and search in Scotland: An evaluation (Murray, 2014).
University of Edinburgh
Evidence, Statistics and Trends
