Red tape cut may save beat police

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Mrs Smith launched the roll-out of new Stop and Account procedures during a visit to Handsworth in Birmingham.

From next week, officers from all 43 forces across England and Wales will no longer be required to fill in forms every time they stop and question someone in the street, using airwave and mobile technology instead.

The time saved by the new techniques will be the equivalent of 3,500 extra police officers on the streets, Mrs Smith said.

Current Stop and Account procedures - whereby officers stop people and ask them to account for their whereabouts or behaviour - entail around 10 minutes questioning on the street, followed by similar length of time completing paperwork.

Under the new scheme, officers will only need to record the ethnicity of the person stopped. That information can be communicated over a radio system, leaving officers free to focus on policing.

The scheme has been piloted by four forces - West Midlands Police, Staffordshire Police, Surrey Police and Leicestershire Constabulary - and has received positive feedback from officers and community members, Mrs Smith said.

Stop and Search procedures are not affected by the new scheme and officers will continue to complete the necessary paperwork when searches are carried out.

On a visit to Thornhill Road Police Station in Handsworth, Birmingham, to see officers using the new Stop and Account method, Mrs Smith said: "This is a major step towards delivering the recommendations of Sir Ronnie Flanagan's report on cutting red tape.

"I am determined to support our police officers so that they spend more time out on your streets, fighting the crimes and issues that matter to you locally."