Brent campaigners to lobby Home Secretary over stop and search consultation

Home Secretary Theresa May Picture: PA Images/ David Jones (Image: PA Wire/Press Association Images)

Campaigners are urging politicians in Brent to lobby the Home Secretary to delay the deadline for the public consultation into police stop and search.

The Brent Stop and Search Monitoring Group (BSSMG) will argue to Theresa May that the consultation needs to be clearer and involve more young people.

The Government launched the consultation looking into whether officers are abusing their stop and search powers after data showed black people were more likely to be targeted than their white counterparts.BSSMG held a meeting last night to discuss the data which was attended by the community and Diane Abbott, Labour MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington.

Denise Richards, BSSMG leader, said she feared those most affected by stop and search were not taking part in the consultation.

She said: “For every one white male that is stopped, seven black young men are stopped.

“Generally young people are misjudged and discriminated against and they haven’t done enough to make sure we hear their voices in this consolation process.

“They are the disaffected group and a lot of them don’t know their rights about stop and search. They haven’t responded because it’s not in an arena that they’re aware of.

“They feel it’s just a paper exercise Theresa May is doing and they don’t believe in it.”

Ms Richards wants local politicians to sign the monitoring group’s letter to the Home Office on Friday calling for an extended deadline for the consultation.

The campaign has already received backing from Janet Hills, the first female chair of the Black Police Association and Glenda Jackson, Labour MP for Hampstead and Kilburn.