In the UK, Black people are nine times more likely to face stop and search than white people. Police have the power to exercise stop and search procedures should they have ‘reasonable grounds’ to suspect a person may be carrying illegal drugs, a weapon or stolen property of such. Yet, during certain times of the year such as Notting Hill Carnival weekend, a key event for the black community, festival police are given the power to stop and search people without the need for reasonable suspicion. This act, Section 60, has led to critics claiming this gives police draconian powers and reinforces the evidence of disproportionate targeting.

On the weekend that usually brings the Notting Hill Carnival, Create Not Hate, a non-profit organisation aiming to combat systemic racism and get underrepresented young people into the creative industries, has initiated a project for young black people to participate in an on-camera discussion with their local MET police force as part of an open and collaborative dialogue. 

Initially, the video was intended to be a conversation between police officers and young people, acting as a forum to exchange experiences to help improve stop and search procedures in the UK, however, the MET police decided not to attend filming. 

Despite this decision, filming of the video went ahead to give the young people involved a chance to air their views and create a discourse around how proper, positive change can be made in the relationship between young people of colour and the police. 

Quiet Storm, the creative agency set up by Create Not Hate's Trevor Robinson, OBE, intends to distribute the film across the UK on multiple media platforms. The music for the film was composed by Andy Carroll at The Elements Music, who are  ongoing supporters of Create Not Hate.

In the hard-hitting video, young Londoners share their first-hand experiences of stop and search powers and express their thoughts on how police relations with young people of colour in the local community can improve. The short film features a diverse mix of six young people from South London aged between 16-22 who open up about  their experiences with the police and consider how relations might be improved. 

The film opens with 19-year-old Emmanuel Areoye, who explains that he wanted to go on camera, “because as an individual, who is not a criminal, I don’t feel comfortable around police.” He goes on to explain: “We’re talking about 16, 17-year-olds getting stopped, not just getting stopped, but getting harassed, manhandled because of speculation that you might have done something because of how you look.”

The audience is then introduced to JT,  who shares how she was left with a broken tooth and chronic back problems after she was stopped and searched by three male police officers at London Bridge underground station. She explains: “They accused me of smoking cannabis and asked if they could search me. I said that’s fine, next thing I know, one of them had swiped my legs and they threw me to the ground. I landed face first. They handcuffed me as one of them was sitting on my back. I was crying. My tooth broke, I had bruising on my face and now I have long-lasting back pain.” 

JT’s friend remarks on the injustice of her having been searched by male officers, and others within the video express the pain of watching a friend have to go through such trauma whilst they are powerless bystanders in the experience. 

The end of the video sees the young people take part in a group conversation despite the MET police being absent from the discussion. They express their disappointment at the lost opportunity and sadness at the hopes of engaging in open discourse to share their experiences. The young people eloquently express that progress on the matter of stop and search ultimately lies in active participation from both parties. 

Create Not Hate and Quiet Storm founder Trevor Robinson OBE explained: “We wanted young people who had experienced - or witnessed - stop and search and unnecessary force used by police officers to have the opportunity to talk openly with police officers in a safe space. But most of all we wanted it to be constructive about moving forward. We wanted it to be the first of many open and trust-building conversations, starting a dialogue between police and young people.”

The aim was to distribute the film among serving officers to help with 'empathy training' and encourage change in handling stops and searches. CNH had been working to this end in partnership with the local council and the Metropolitan Police. 

Robinson added: “When the police withdrew, we felt strongly that the young people should still have this experience and share their stories. We plan to send this film to every single police officer we can contact, as well as put it out across all social media channels.”

As of February this year, the Press Association has revealed that the Metropolitan Police has disciplined just six officers over the misuse of stop and search powers since 2014, despite receiving almost 5,000 complaints. This has led to cause for concern that the police don’t receive adequate training around stop and search. This film project aimed to help address this through constructive discussions and shared experiences. 

Alongside this project, Create Not Hate has launched a petition for a review of the training process for stop and search and are calling people to both sign the petition and share the film. Sign the petition here.