In this study we examine the use of the police stop and search tactic for preventing and investigating crime and as a method for maintaining order, during periods of national lockdown in England and Wales during the covid-19 global pandemic. By using time series modelling on data for all recorded stop and search over a 5-year period, we identify that of the 24 areas we examined, 16 saw the volume of stop and search increase significantly during lockdown periods. Significant findings included a rise in the overall volume of stop and search, and searches for controlled drugs. This is unusual given the reductions in crime and traditional police demand during the pandemic, creating somewhat of a paradox. We discuss this further and suggest that this can be reconciled by considering the possibility that the police have used the tactic of stop and search as a tool to maintain order during the pandemic, and specifically adherence to national lockdowns. This position is supported by the academic literature, an absence in associated recorded crime, correlations in the application of FPNs during the same period, and an increased volume of searches that resulted in no further action.

在这项研究中，我们研究了在新冠肺炎 (covid-19) 全球大流行期间英格兰和威尔士实施国家封锁期间，警察使用拦截搜查策略来预防和调查犯罪以及维持秩序的方法。通过对 5 年期间所有记录的拦截和搜索数据进行时间序列建模，我们发现在我们检查的 24 个区域中，有 16 个区域在封锁期间拦截和搜索量显着增加。重大发现包括拦截和搜查总量以及对受管制药物的搜查总量有所增加。鉴于大流行期间犯罪率和传统警察需求的减少，这是不寻常的，从而造成了某种悖论。我们进一步讨论了这一点，并建议可以通过考虑警察在大流行期间使用拦截和搜查策略作为维持秩序的工具的可能性，特别是遵守国家封锁的可能性来调和这一点。这一立场得到了学术文献、相关犯罪记录的缺失、同一时期 FPN 应用的相关性以及导致没有采取进一步行动的搜索量增加的支持。