“More stop and search is not the answer to tackling knife crime in Bristol”

In response to the recent stabbings in Easton, police have announced they will be putting extra patrols on the streets. But not everyone believes this will solve the problem of knife violence or drug dealing in the area.

While some question whether such measures will result in real improvements, others worry that an increase in stop and frisk could exacerbate the problem as well as leave innocent children feeling traumatized.

Last year, Avon and Somerset Police Chief Sarah Crew raised the issue of institutional racism within the police force and vowed to address the issue. However, the force recently stepped up searches in a number of areas following a spate of stabbings in the city.

The force was able to stop and search people without the need for reasonable grounds for suspicion under section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act for 48 hours in February. Their holdings were in Bristol city centre, St Pauls, Easton, Eastville, Ashley Down, Temple and Fishponds.

Copwatch founder John Pegram fears such actions could only serve to exacerbate existing tensions in the area and lead to greater mistrust between the police and the public.

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John, who founded the police watchdog after many years of being a victim of institutional racism, said: “Serious violence is not something we want to see in our community. However, over policing and ineffective, disproportionate and ultimately racist powers such as Section 60 is certainly not the answer.

“Police claim to be tackling institutional racism but continue to use blanket stop and search and policing powers that criminalize a community and very rarely reduce crime. We at Bristol Copwatch feel that community intervention and de-escalation projects have more value than an increased police presence ever will.”

Leigh Mckenna, who works with a team of youth workers from ACE CIC at Docklands in St Pauls, spends every Tuesday walking around Easton and interacting with young people on the streets.

He believes that while having visible police patrols can create the perception of safety, he is not sure how much it will reduce violence and serious crime among young people. Like John, he is aware of the impact racial profiling can have on innocent children who are simply enjoying an afternoon with friends or on their way home from school.

He found that, most recently, when the powers were implemented, it did not stop drug dealers selling in the area and it just meant they temporarily moved to different locations. As dealers who may have been carrying knives quickly moved to another location, they were not among those affected by the stop and search operation, but children and youths who were simply playing with their friends were affected.

Although disputes that end in stabbings can sometimes be the result of personal disputes, in Leigh’s experience drug dealers are more likely to carry knives because of their fear of being robbed.

“When they typically increase police presence in the community, it’s not done in a sustained way. I have no evidence that with the changes in community policing over the last year, anything has been effective in reducing violence,” he said.

“It certainly seems to me that some of these issues have become prevalent again in the last year. If you have more people patrolling maybe that will have an impact, but actually I see the police patrolling Stapleton Road all the time, I’ve met them many times.

“People want to see visible policing, but visible policing only makes the problem worse. I definitely think that young people go inside and don’t take offense when they see the police visible.

“Darrian Williams was killed in Easton and as a result they put a Section 60 in the area where they could stop and search anyone. They claimed that it not only improved safety, but also improved the perception of safety among parents and children.

“There were 45 youths stopped and searched, but no offensive weapons were found. At what point do we increase safety if we don’t take assault weapons off the streets?

“Some of these innocent children were really affected. It’s actually one of the first instances of institutional racism you go through, being labeled a criminal for simply existing in your area. Kids get in trouble because of unfair stops and searches, they’re targeted, they’re treated unfairly, they become more and more likely to engage in other delinquent behavior, it’s a feedback loop.”

Response from Avon and Somerset Police

A spokesman for Avon and Somerset Police said: “Enhanced stop and search powers under section 60 allow officers to stop and search a person or vehicle in a specified area for a weapon without grounds for suspicion, to prevent serious violence. This is different from the standard. stop and search powers, where officers must have reasonable grounds to stop and search a person or vehicle.

“We have taken the rare step of bringing in section 60 powers twice so far this year, both times in response to serious incidents of violence in Bristol. The first was for a 48-hour period in February in parts of central and east Bristol. , following the killing of a 16-year-old boy in Rawnsley Park in Easton.

“This comes days after a violent incident involving knife-wielding teenagers in McDonalds in Horsefair. The second took place over a 24-hour period in June in east Bristol in response to an incident also in Rawnsley Park which left two men in hospital. with serious knife wounds and led to the arrest of eleven people.

“We never use targets or quotas for stop and search. Every use of this power will be recorded on an officer’s body-worn video, and the Independent Scrutiny of Police Powers (ISoPP) reviews our use of the power quarterly to ensure they are using it correctly.”