Reducing Ethnic Profiling in the European Union - Open Society ...

officers and their supervisors (who are required to sign off the forms) are aware thattheir practice is being scrutinized. The scrutiny panels are organized by the police,and are thus embedded within institutional structures and more likely to feed intooperational decision-making. There is clear evidence of police commitment to thepanels and willingness to respond to problems raised. The evaluation found improvementsin the quality of recording and the supervision of that recording.In 2008, the Suffolk Constabulary formed a stop and search reference panel. Researchconducted by the Ipswich and Suffolk Council for Racial Equality (ISCRE) found thatin Suffolk black people were stopped at a rate 9 times greater than the rate for whitepeople; higher than the national average, and in some rural parts of the county thisincreased to rates as high as 22 to 1. 239 This research led to the development of a stopand search scrutiny panel organized by the Equality Council, sitting independentlyof the police. The group meets monthly in the evening at different locations aroundthe county. The group scrutinizes district-wide performance, looking at all stops andsearches of people from ethnic minority backgrounds. Forms are reviewed in advanceof each monthly meeting by the Equality Council and a number are brought forwardto the police for discussion at the meeting. The police provide information on thestops to the group which is then discussed. The panel also discusses complaintsabout stop and search reported by third parties; monitors the impact of the use ofstop and search in the community; and contributes to the forces’ stop-and-searchpolicy, procedures and training. (Please see Appendix A for the Suffolk stop form.)The Suffolk scrutiny panel has wide and diverse community participation, encouragedby the independence of the Equality Council. Meetings are challenging and, becausecommunity members have a good understanding of the law and context surroundingstop-and-search practice, provide a real opportunity to hold officers accountable fortheir actions. Where officer completion of stop forms is done well, they get positivefeedback. Where forms are poorly completed and the grounds for the stop are questionable,follow-up action ranges from words of advice to management action. Someofficers and sergeants have been encouraged to attend the meeting in order to properlyunderstand the impact of their actions. The reference group is currently exploringhow to include quantitative stop-and-search data in their scrutiny, and ensure thatdiscussions at the reference group feed into operational decision-making.In Ireland, the Inter-Racial Cultural Office holds an annual consultation meetingwith ethnic minority communities to discuss best practice, minorities’ needs and concerns,the work of ethnic liaison officers, among other topics. In 2008, the researchunit of the Inter-racial Cultural Office distributed questionnaires to gauge minorities’opinions of the police. Ireland also has local consultation forums, and superintendentsare required to meet with minority groups in their district four times a year to discussREDUCING ETHNIC PROFILING IN THE EUROPEAN UNION 159