STOP AND SEARCH AND SOCIAL COHESION

That this House recalls the systemic use of police stop and search powers in the 1970s and 1980s, and the social consequences - in the form of the inner city riots of 1981 and 1985 - which followed; is mindful of the increased use of stop and search in recent years and the deleterious consequences which that has had for social cohesion; is further mindful of the evidence which shows that not only is stop and search an ineffective method of dealing with crime and terrorism, but also that its widespread use leads to the alienation of the very communities whose co-operation is vital to tackling extremism; and is therefore alarmed at the apparent willingness of the Government and the official Opposition to encourage still more use of stop and search, and abandonment of checks and balances which were part of the lessons learned from the tragic murder of Stephen Lawrence.