ABSTRACT
The powers of the police to stop and search, particularly in public, has been the subject of particular scrutiny in recent years. The excessive use of such powers was held to have been a major contributory factor to the underlying resentment, notably between younger people and the police, which led to the inner city riots in 1981. It is important to note that this chapter will examine the law and procedures governing stops and searches by the police who have not, at that stage, made an arrest. Police powers to search either persons or premises, once an arrest has been effected, will be discussed in Chapters 3 and 4.
