Since October 2010, StopWatch has campaigned for an end to unlawful and discriminatory policing practices. As the nation’s leading authority on stop and search, we have reframed public and policy discourse over stop and search, challenging police abuse of the tactic on people from racialised and marginalised communities.

Unfortunately, a glance at today’s headlines suggests Brits run the risk of losing hard-won protections from police misconduct. While we were involved in successfully persuading the UK supreme court to reject an attempt by the officer (W80) who fatally shot Jermaine Baker to lower standards over police uses of force, the subsequent disciplinary hearing was dismissed. The ruling has led to calls from the Police Federation for the government to effectively reverse the supreme court’s original decision through a rapid evidence review.

We’ve also seen politicians openly advocate the defacto return of sus laws to oppress marginalised communities living in so-called ‘crime hotspots’, while scandals over vehicle stops, child strip searches, police surveillance technologies, and the culture of racism and misogyny make the headlines weekly. 

What do we want?

StopWatch is committed to the fight against systemic police injustice. But we can only do it with your help. So please consider supporting us. Your contribution will help us continue to expose injustice, empower communities, and push for lasting change as we build safer, fairer futures for all.