StopWatch UK

February 2026 newsletter: 🗞 Government promises 'tailored support' for youth caught in possession of a knife 🗞 Vetting of police officers still not up to standard 🗞 Pioneering research shines spotlight on ‘police pursuit killings’ @IRR_News stopwatchuk.substack.com/p/february-202…

A Sky News exclusive YouGov poll found 62% of the public do trust ordinary police officers, but trust falls to 48% for police bosses. Our home editor @JasonFarrellSky reports ⬇️ Read more 🔗 trib.al/tHvXTXw

Carrick investigation 'hindered by officer's bias' bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…

Revealed: 360 race-related complaints at ‘institutionally racist’ police forces saw no officers fired. President of the @NBPAUK @andygeorgeni said this ‘risks reinforcing the perception the system is not working for communities it is meant to serve’. →hyphenonline.com/2026/03/11/pol… 📷Getty Images

Rights groups warn of ‘dangerous rollback’ of police accountability Human rights organisations say government’s proposed policing changes could make it harder to hold officers to account after deaths in custody voice-online.co.uk/news/uk-news/2…

The CPS decided that they would not prosecute any of the police officers for murdering Jean Charles De Menezes of any criminal offence. The family challenged this but were unsuccessful #spycops

After Sarah Everard, after Nicole Stillman and Bibaa Henry, after Child Q, after Zayna Iman, after the spycops revelations, and more, the government is still willing to leave girls and women more vulnerable to police abuse than ever theguardian.com/society/2026/m…

The @PFEW_HQ has never been a friend of justice or equality as can illustratesd by the fact that they've launched legal bid to reinstate ‘rape’ officer. How exactly WPC’s are supposed to feel confident and supported by the Fed - is beyond understanding. standard.co.uk/news/crime/met…

Our 'colour of injustice' report (2017) found that the Met saw Black ppl as suspicious enough to be racially profiled wherever they went in London, especially in affluent areas. In 2026, officer prejudices are still being indulged. theguardian.com/law/2026/mar/1…

'... the missing data could potentially hamper the force's ability to catch criminals in their own ranks.' 🤔 x.com/gurpalsvirdi/s…

The Metropolitan Police is still missing nearly half of its officers' DNA from its database, and more than a fifth of their fingerprints. bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…

Three men linked to the Police Federation have been arrested on suspicion of fraud by abuse of position - after a raid on the organisation's headquarters in Surrey.

Tom concludes that the approach taken by the government to the issue (with the surveillance apparatus put in place and the intention to legitimise its use through surveillance) is not consensual, but rather 'consultation theatre'.

Tom also observes that while a recent public consultation focused on safeguards, 'facial recognition is moving closer to direct street-level encounters' despite the warnings of the Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner about it all

✍️ *NEW* blogpost article about the creeping normalisation of biometric stop and search, before safeguards and regulations are set stop-watch.org/news-opinion/c…

Sir Mark Rowley has admitted many women still do not trust the Metropolitan Police, five years after the murder of Sarah Everard, saying several shocking cases involving officers have damaged confidence. bbc.in/4sjdffA

Read a summary of the topline results here. More to follow in the coming week: stop-watch.org/news-opinion/n…

In 2024/25 the most significant year-on-year increases in stop-search arrests for stolen property (+1,838) and drugs (+2,244) masking declines in search arrests for offensive weapons (-671) and going equipped (-480)

*NEWS* 'Stop and search, arrests, and mental health detentions, March 2025' shows a small decrease in stop-search volumes by the higher suspicion-led standard (section 1), in contrast to creeping rises in suspicionless searches 🧵 gov.uk/government/sta…