Met Police officers will continue to record ‘stop and account’ incidents after a public consultation “robustly supported” a need for officers to formally and transparently keep a record of such stops.
A ‘stop and account’ incident happens when a police officer or PCSO stops a member of the public and require them to explain “why they are in a particular place, why they are carrying something or why they are behaving in a particular way.”
At present the officer must record the time, date and place where the stop happened and give a copy of the record to the person stopped.
The MPA consulted on the possibility of axing this requirement after the UK coalition said police longer needed to record stops.
In March the MPA launched a public consultation to gauge the attitude of Londoners, the Authority was “particularly interested” in hearing from younger Londoners – the group “most likely” to be affected by any changes.
Announcing that officers would still need to record ‘stop and account’ incidents, Malthouse said: “Those we spoke to, many of whom were young people, robustly supported recording ‘stop and account’ to make sure the process was both transparent and accountable.
“It also serves as a good check and balance for officers who make stops on a daily basis as they go about their duties.”
Malthouse added: “Good community engagement has always been a priority for the MPA and this is a great example of community consultation making a real difference to how London is policed.”
