This book reviews the key controversies surrounding the police power to stop and search members of the public. It explores the history and development of these powers, assesses their effectiveness in tackling crime and their impact on public trust and confidence as well as on-going attempts at regulation and reform.

Rebekah Delsol is the program officer for ethnic profiling at the Open Society Justice Initiative, UK. Michael Shiner is an Associate Professor of Social Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK.