Forum Topic

Putney stabbing

Alarming local news. https://www.wandsworthguardian.co.uk/news/18703840.section-60-place-man-20s-stabbed-putney/These Section 60 orders are all very well but while 99.9% of us will be unaffected they are a serious if supposedly short term infringement on civil liberties.  They’ve been around since 1994 and can be imposed by a senior police officer without recourse to the courts.  The police can also decide how long the order remains in place. More here:https://www.met.police.uk/SysSiteAssets/media/downloads/central/advice/met/stop-and-search/section-60-stop-and-search.PDF

Jonathan Callaway ● 2031d18 Comments

Craig. I've never been searched. In my younger days, when I had long hair, I've been asked what I'm doing when with I've been with a crowd of friends - and they picked on a half Spanish friend for extra questioning although I thing he was a bit cheeky to them - that was circa 1969 (but they'd have got a lot more support if they'd entered into the joke when he said "evenin' all"). In my mid 20s, when I still had long hair, I had a really weird experience. Coming back from Crete into Luton airport with my parents (my father had wanted me and my mother to see where he'd been during the war) I went through passport control ahead of my parents. Heading for baggage reclaim an official in plain clothes appeared from nowhere and asked to see my passport. My mother caught up and as soon as she said "what's the problem?" he waived us on and disappeared as mysteriously as he'd materialised. I've no idea whether I was picked on because I had long hair or if he mistook me for someone else - but he was quite right: bad idea to mess with my mother! But in the last four decades no problems, and in my infosec role I've ended up drinking with some serving and retired ones after seminars and had some amiable chats. But perhaps it helps to be white, middle class ...

Michael Ixer ● 2028d

No problem Matt, my response was aimed at Karen

Maxine Campbell ● 2028d

Sorry Maxine, yes you are right, I should have said disproportionate.

Matt Palmer ● 2028d

Absolutely Matt.  Would be interested to know how many times people on here have been stopped and searched.

Craig Fordham ● 2028d

Proportion. There are a disproportionate number of blacks targeted. The issue is years of built mistrust. If stop and search is genuine then I wouldn’t have a problem with it but I have witnessed first hand how’s its been abused. If I tell you I was with my husband and child when he was once stopped and the policeman smirked and said “ you can sue me for defamation if you like as he walked away what would you think?

Maxine Campbell ● 2028d

I think the evidence is quite clear that black people are stopped and searched by the police more often than white people.

Matt Palmer ● 2028d

I have seen both white and black being stopped, so I totally disagree Maxine.What does colour have to do with it???

Karen Taylor ● 2028d

no Nick not nonsense. are you white? just checking.my family and friends - all men -  have been stopped and searched many times. i have posted about this on this site previously. what police have seen in the past is black, they have made their decision to stop them based on this. they don't see someone walking home from working - an engineer, an architect, a computer programmer. they see black.

Maxine Campbell ● 2028d

Well then I would question the authorities why this is happening. That sounds like living in a police state, which I don't think we do, quite the opposite.Do you have experience of this?  I'm very interested, because there's always two sides to everything.  All the best.

Bunny Payne ● 2031d

Ask them to do it on your street, week in, week out, for the next 30 years. repetitively. Just because of who you are. See how you feel about it then.

Michael Winstanley ● 2031d

Read Bunny's comment.I think stop and search has its place in policing but as I said I believe there are too many cases where it stirs up trouble rather than addressing it.

Jonathan Callaway ● 2031d

I agree why would you get annoyed? Would it not give you confidence they're doing something? meh

Gabrielle OMahony ● 2031d

Absolute nonsense anyone that is against stop and search. It defies belief really. I might ask the police to do it on my street for a week. Just to see if any Libs kick up a fuss about it. There have been numerous occasions of people harassing officers whilst being searched. Only to be found with a knife.

Nick Gulliford ● 2031d

Well somebody will have to ask the police what their plan is. They have the power to impose this and really ought to be open about the whys and wherefors. I get the point that if you have nothing to hide then being stopped and searched should not be an issue but they have the power to stop anyone they want without giving a reason why. If that means they find someone carrying a knife that’s fine but it ought to be a concern how widely (and indiscriminately) they exercise this power and what effect it has on the innocent people caught up in this. There is plenty of evidence that stop and search can exacerbate tensions on the street, not keep them safer.

Jonathan Callaway ● 2031d

the article says the Section 60 "is across Wandsworth", I find that unlikely, Wandsworth is a huge borough, how can a S.60 be applied borough wide for an incident in Putney, if that's standard procedure S.60's would be used borough wide every day

Adam Tripp ● 2031d

I agree, I might be a bit startled but perfectly understandable.Many years ago in the early 1970s, when policing was so very different, I was stopped in Earls Court by the Police.  I was a bit of a hippy (long hair, long skirt, beads etc) and carrying an LP (as we used to call them) of Bing Crosby, called White Christmas.  These two policemen stopped me when I was off to catch a train home to my parents for Christmas.  They didn't search me, but they did interrogate me for some time about where I got the record from, I felt they were accusing me of stealing it.  Eventually the kinder of the two told me that his colleague just wanted to buy a copy for his wife.I was really annoyed and upset as I went on my way and I've never forgotten it, so I do understand when young innocent people are stopped and searched. However I think at least the Police have been taught to be a bit more polite and respectful and I hope they have a better attitude now.

Bunny Payne ● 2031d

My view of being stopped by police / being searched is what really is the issue if you have nothing to hide

Gabrielle OMahony ● 2031d

More than happy to be searched if it deters knife carrying.

Freddie Francis ● 2031d