Stop-and-Search Extended After Police’s Hands ‘Tied for Political Reasons’

Police in London in an undated file photo. The Home Office is permanently easing restrictions on the use of police stop-and-search tactics. Victoria Jones/PA

The Home Secretary Priti Patel has lifted restrictions on police stop-and-search powers as part of a new initiative against violent crime in England and Wales.

Patel wrote to police forces in England and Wales, permanently lifting limitations on Section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act, which enables them to stop people and search them for weapons.