A realist review on the police use of stop and search powers
July 28th, 2025
The article “A realist review on the police use of stop and search powers”, written by Winifred Agnew-Pauley, Caitlin Elizabeth Hughes, and Alex Stevens and published in European Journal of Criminology (Vol. 22, No. 3, 2025), presents a realist review of 206 relevant studies from 21 countries on the use of stop and search by police in public spaces. The review identifies contextual factors and mechanisms that influence the outcomes of such practices and develops a program theory on stop and search.
More specifically, the article highlights critical issues associated with a policing approach primarily focused on the maintenance of public order, the prioritization of the quantity over the quality of stops, broad operational discretion, and the intensification of surveillance. At the same time, the analysis identifies mechanisms and contexts that promote more positive outcomes of stop and search practices, including the adoption of procedural justice, community-oriented policing models, and the implementation of more transparent systems for recording and monitoring stops.
To read and download the article, click here.