Street Interventions and Stop Search

Street Interventions or Encounters

Welcome to the Dorset Police Street Interventions website.

Thank you for taking the time to find out about Street Interventions and the work we do. I hope you find this site both informative and useful.

Dorset Police has two overarching objectives - To Make Dorset Safer, and To Make Dorset Feel Safer.

The first of these objectives - To Make Dorset Safer - relates to a physical experience in terms of there being less crime and disorder and improved road safety. This requires us to deliver the highest quality policing service.

The second objective - To Make Dorset Feel Safer - is concerned with peoples’ perceptions and relies not only on our success in achieving a safer Dorset but also on the trust and confidence that we inspire in our communities. Our success in all respects requires us individually and collectively to live our Values of Integrity, Professionalism, Fairness and Respect. Therefore, our use of street intervention powers must at all times be in pursuit of our two overarching objectives and conducted in a manner that demonstrates our adherence to our Values.

Everyone has a civic duty to help police officers prevent crime and catch offenders. The fact that the police may have stopped someone does not mean they are guilty of an offence.

Apart from the inconvenience, people may feel irritated that they’ve been stopped when they haven’t done anything wrong – that’s completely understandable. However, the stop or stop and search will be much quicker if a person co-operates with police officers.

Don’t forget that the stop or stop and search must be carried out according to strict rules – the police have responsibility to ensure that people’s rights are protected. Everyone should expect to be treated fairly and respectfully. In almost all cases, an individual should be given a record of the stop or stop and search at the time it happens. The police use these powers to help make the local community safer by disrupting crime – public co-operation is an essential part of that.

Your rights; we can only stop you in pursuit of the following legitimate aims:

In the interests of national security
In the interests of public safety
For the prevention of crime and disorder, and
To protect the rights and freedoms of others.

Our use of these powers will focus on ‘Quality not Quantity’, being exercised both fairly and impartially and only where it is reasonable and proportionate to the prevailing circumstances.

The necessity to undertake street interventions will be identified by the National Intelligence Model, ensuring that the intelligence on which the use of such powers is based is current, relevant and appropriate. At the same time we will uphold individual rights and freedoms, ensuring that the use of our powers is justified and proportionate and balances the needs of both individuals and the community as a whole. We will strive to protect the public and maximise our effectiveness against crime, whilst making the greatest positive contribution to public confidence.

The effective implementation of our Street Interventions Policy (68kb PDF) requires positive leadership and commitment at every level, from chief officers to officers conducting street interventions, to ensure that we all meet our responsibilities for the effective, proper and sustainable use of the tactic within the terms of the current law, best practice and practical guidance as set out in this document.

All members of Dorset Police are supported in their use of these powers and are encouraged to use them where appropriate. Openness and accountability in respect of our use of these powers is to be welcomed and valued. Operational staff and their leaders are very aware of the potential discriminatory impact of the use of the powers and are able to demonstrate ethical and focused decision making in their use.

Although the power to stop and search a person, the power to stop a vehicle, to require the production of documents and other similar powers come from separate statutes, we absolutely understand that few members of the public will make a distinction between them. Hence our Street Interventions Policy (68kb PDF) guides the use of street interventions in the broadest sense and outlines the principles and standards that are common to both of these situations, as well as the recently introduced concept of non-statutory ‘stops’ or ‘encounters’.

We are eager to learn of your experiences if you have been stopped by a police officer – either negative or positive. Did you understand why you were being stopped? Did you understand why you were being asked your ethnicity? Did you feel you were treated properly? Please help us to learn by providing feedback.

Again, thank you for visiting our website and I hope you are able to gain more knowledge by clicking on various links below.

Debbie Simpson

Chief Constable

P05-2009 Street Interventions or Encounters Policy (68kb PDF) >

P06-2009 Street Interventions or Encounters Procedures 128kb PDF) >

Impact Assessment for the above Policy & Procedure (44kb PDF) >

Stop & Search FAQ’s >

Feedback - your experiences of being stopped >

‘Know your Rights’ Leaflet - Download from the Association of Police Authorities website.

Police & Crime Commissioner for Dorset >

Ethnicity Codes (16kb PDF) >

Stop & Search Data >