ther Gauardian上的https://www.theguardian.com/law/2018/nov/11/uk-police-chiefs-hold-talks-to-expand-stop-and-search
Stop and search is a police power. If a police offier suspects that you might be carrying illegal drugs, etc, they can stop and search you. You might have seen this in HK films, in which a police officer might ask someone to stop and produce their ID.
If a police officer can stop and search any person at any time, this would be an infrigement on people's fundamental rights. There has to be some sort of regulations in place to make sure the police don't cross the line. The line here, in legal terms, is called 'reasonable grounds', meaning that a police officer must have good reason before they carry out stop and search checks. If they fail to do so, they may have to apologise to the the suspects face-to-tace.
As you can see, it's a balancing act. If you move the line in favour of the police, ordinary people may feel harrassed. But, if you move the line to the different direction, police officers may find it difficult to combat crime, eventually leaving ordinary people in danger.
Thing is, in the past few years, there has been a rise in the number of knife attacks in London. As a lethal weapon, a knife can be conveniently hidden in a pocket. Before an attack, it is very difficult for police officers to notice someone carrying a lethan weapon like this and when they have 'reasonable grounds', more often than not, it's too late. So basically, the article says the police need more power and there are concerns, because black people, for this reason or that, are more likely to be targeted. Of course, for a newspaper which is the champion of political correctness, I'm sure it will produce more of this for guardianistas.
If a police officer can stop and search any person at any time, this would be an infrigement on people's fundamental rights. There has to be some sort of regulations in place to make sure the police don't cross the line. The line here, in legal terms, is called 'reasonable grounds', meaning that a police officer must have good reason before they carry out stop and search checks. If they fail to do so, they may have to apologise to the the suspects face-to-tace.
As you can see, it's a balancing act. If you move the line in favour of the police, ordinary people may feel harrassed. But, if you move the line to the different direction, police officers may find it difficult to combat crime, eventually leaving ordinary people in danger.
Thing is, in the past few years, there has been a rise in the number of knife attacks in London. As a lethal weapon, a knife can be conveniently hidden in a pocket. Before an attack, it is very difficult for police officers to notice someone carrying a lethan weapon like this and when they have 'reasonable grounds', more often than not, it's too late. So basically, the article says the police need more power and there are concerns, because black people, for this reason or that, are more likely to be targeted. Of course, for a newspaper which is the champion of political correctness, I'm sure it will produce more of this for guardianistas.
