The role of prejudicial stereotypes in the formation of suspicion: An examination of operational procedures in stop and search practices

AuthorDave Walsh,Rashid Minhas
Published date01 September 2021
Date01 September 2021
DOI10.1177/14613557211016499
Subject MatterArticles
Article
The role of prejudicial stereotypes in the
formation of suspicion: An examination
of operational procedures in stop and
search practices
Rashid Minhas
School of Human and Social Sciences, University of West London, UK
Dave Walsh
De Montfort Law School, De Montfort University, UK
Abstract
One of the current and visible controversies in UK policing that challenges the heart and foundation of the principle of law
is arguably the apparent disproportionate use of stop and search powers involving ethnic minority communities. Prior
research found that differential exposure by the police to certain types of suspected offenders led to the development of
cognitive scripts that operate as stereotypes and which may play a role in informing suspicions concerning police stops and
searches. Focusing on whether police officers use negative stereotypes to inform suspicions when conducting stops and
searches, this study examined more than 2,100 stop and search records held by a police force in England, in addition to
conducting 20 semi-structured interviews with frontline serving police officers from the same force. It was found that the
use of stop and search powers is consistent with: (a) the use of stereotypes with respect to age, appearance, and social
class; and (b) the disproportionate recorded use of stop and search powers involving Black, Asian and Mixed communities.
The implications of these findings are discussed.
Keywords
Stereotyping, suspicion, stop and search, policing, decision-making
Submitted 13 Jan 2020, Revise received 30 Oct 2020, accepted 21 Apr 2021
Introduction
The use of stop and search powers by the police is one of
the most controversial issues in debates concerning poli-
cing ethnic minority communities (Weber and Bowl-
ing, 2011; Bradford, 2017; Phillips and Bowling, 2012;
Quinton, 2011; Shiner and Delsol, 2015). In the UK, sev-
eral research studies have reported findings apparently
showing disparities in police treatment between ethnic
minority citizens and White citizens (Graham and Lowery,
2004; Parmar, 2011). Studies of stop and search indicate
that the required reasonable grounds for suspicion were
seldom adhered to by the police (Bowling and Phillips,
2007; Jefferson and Walker, 1993), with stereotypes possi-
bly playing a role in informing their suspicions (Quinton
and Packham, 2016; Smith and Gray, 1985). Previous
research studies have also found that certain stereotypes
are commonly used by police officers to classify people
based on their ethnic origin and social class (Bowling and
Phillips, 2007; Graef, 1989; Jefferson and Walker, 1993;
Quinton, 2011; Young 1994).
Although, there is a significant volume of literature on
the formation of racial and prejudicial stereotypes (Gra-
ham and Lowery, 2004), there remains a negligible
Corresponding author:
Rashid Minhas, School of Human and Social Sciences, University of West
London, Paragon House, London TW8 9GA, UK.
Email: rashid.minhas@uwl.ac.uk
International Journalof
Police Science & Management
ªThe Author(s) 2021
Article reuse guidelines:
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DOI: 10.1177/14613557211016499
journals.sagepub.com/home/psm
2021, Vol. 23(3) 293–305

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