Strip-searches are rarely a matter of public debate in the UK. Raw data – and the impact known from research in other jurisdictions – suggests though that they should be.
With the occupation of parliament grounds entering its second week, police walk a thin blue line between enforcing the law and not inflaming the situation.
Police forces need to negotiate with communities to win back trust or risk getting trapped in a cycle of violence.
Police in riot gear stand in a line against protesters next to a message spay painted on the Kenosha County Courthouse in August 2020 after the police shooting of unarmed Black man Jacob Blake.
(AP Photo/David Goldman)
Other agencies or officials can do much of what police do now. So let’s disband police forces and replace them with local community organizations.
Bicycle police officers keep an eye on Trinity Bellwoods Park in Toronto on Sunday, May 24, 2020. Warm weather and a reduction in COVID-19 restrictions has many looking to the outdoors for relief.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
Bike helmet laws are meant to be about safety. But the hefty penalties and huge number of fines are causing resentment – made worse by some police abusing the law to stop, question and search riders.
Police detectives at the scene of a fatal crash in Northcote in 2017. The crash occurred after a police pursuit.
AAP/DAVID CROSLING
As a police officer, I was involved in many pursuits, investigated serious accidents and later became a researcher. Here’s what I’ve learned about how police make decisions in a pursuit.
The role of police is being questioned as never before. In addition to facing increased media scrutiny, officers are being killed. What is the effect on their well-being and, in turn, on ours?
The police accountability, or cop-watching, movement includes activists who go out on regular patrols to videotape arrests.
Mary Angela Bock