Julia Mulligan, Police and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire, responds to HMIC PEEL Legitimacy Inspection Report 2015
“North Yorkshire continues to be the safest place to live in the country, and I am pleased that HMIC has found that our local force is good at keeping people safe and reducing crime.
“To be rated as ‘good’ across each area is a testament to the time and effort officers, staff and volunteers put into their work. Legitimacy is a watchword for modern policing, so this positive report is very welcome.
“One area flagged as needing further work is stop and search, in particular the need for the police to explain their actions. It’s important to note that HMIC’s report is consistent with feedback from local young people, who were part of the Youth Commission I set up last year. They said young people need to be confident that they are stopped for real reasons and not because of the way they look.
“North Yorkshire Police need to listen and act on this issue. Therefore, in response they will be establishing an on-going panel of young people to help them improve their operations in this respect.
“Looking at the issue of stop and search more widely, there were 29 per cent fewer searches in 2015 than in previous years. This is in part down to North Yorkshire Police adopting the Home Office’s Best Use of Stop and Search Scheme, and actively promoting initiatives such as the Lay Observer Scheme. This involves members of the public, who are invited to watch police carrying out stop and searches. In addition, the police have recently introduced stop and search ‘champions’– who can provide advice and ad hoc training to colleagues.
“Taken as a whole, I am confident that the next few months will see improvements in stop and search, and that we will be on our way to achieving an ‘outstanding’ rating, which must be our goal.”
- Visit the North Yorkshire Police website for their response.
- Download the HMIC PEEL Legitimacy Inspection Report 2015