Introduction

Wiltshire is one of the safest counties in the Country in which to live, work and visit. Wiltshire Police is committed to ensuring everyone remains safe from crime, satisfied with the service provided and confident that Wiltshire Police and its partners can effectively tackle crime, disorder and anti-social behaviour.

The Police use of stop and search is a powerful tool in the fight against crime and one that has excellent results in catching and deterring criminals.

Police sometimes have to stop members of the public and ask them to account for their actions or presence in an area. This can be due to a number of factors such as the time of day, previous criminal activity in the area or an area being an Anti Social Behaviour Dispersal Zone.

Officers may also carry out a search of a person's clothes or property if they have reasonable cause to suspect that person has in their possession articles that could be stolen, unlawfully obtained, or cause harm to other people such as offensive weapons. This includes the possession of controlled drugs.

To make sure we are open and accountable, officers will always identify themselves and provide an explanation of why a stop or search is carried out. They will also provide the person stopped a record of the stop so people can find out more information.

Wiltshire Police works hard to ensure everyone stopped is treated fairly, professionally and with respect and dignity. We understand that some people may feel worried or frightened about being stopped and searched, whilst others may feel insulted or discriminated against. We believe that the more people know their rights and understand what the police are trying to achieve through effective use of stop and search powers the more likely it is we can build trust and confidence across all communities.

This website aims to help you understand stop and search procedures, the type of behaviour you should expect from the police and, in return, what the police require from you (see Frequently Asked Questions). These web pages also provide informative video clips on stop and search and links to other useful sites, as well as Wiltshire Police's stop and search performance data.

The video below (in three parts) was commissioned by a partnership of groups including community and charity organisations, the police and police authorities.

It was produced to explore what Stop and Search is for and why its controversial, train the police in how to use Stop and Search appropriately, and to inform the public of their rights when they are Stop and Searched.

This video was kindly supplied to us by the Metropolitan Police Authority.

We hope you find the video useful.

Part 1 of 3:

Part 2 of 3:

Part 3 of 3: