Police in North Yorkshire are giving people the opportunity to see stop and search powers in action from today.
Under the Stop and Search Lay Observer Scheme, members of the public can apply to accompany officers on patrol when they might deploy stop and search powers.
North Yorkshire Police officers carry out about 20 stop searches per day, and these powers are an effective policing tool to detect crime, recover property and arrest offenders. The force has adopted the Home Office Best Use of Stop and Search Scheme to increase transparency and further improve our use of these powers.
Chief Inspector Mark Grange, of North Yorkshire Police, said:
By introducing ‘lay observation’, a process of two-way learning can take place, bringing the police closer to the public.
Under this scheme the police have the opportunity to demonstrate their use of stop and search, while members of the public will be provided with the opportunity to see stop and search in action, and provide feedback based on their observations.
I would encourage anyone interested in observing stop and search in action to visit our website to find out more.
Applicants will need to be voluntarily vetted prior to being approved to accompany an officer, and will need to be flexible regarding the hours they accompany an officer and the area where they patrol. A number of other restrictions apply, which are outlined on the application form.
To find out more about the use of stop and search by North Yorkshire Police, visit www.northyorkshire.police.uk/stopsearch. To apply online to join the Stop and Search Lay Observer Scheme, visit www.northyorkshire.police.uk/layobserver
