There has been long-running public concern about police use of stops and searches, particularly on the part of the black community. Most recently, the Report of the Inquiry into the Matters Arising from the Death of Stephen Lawrence (1999) reemphasized the lack of trust and confidence among members of the minority ethnic community in this respect and with police in general. The Inquiry noted that, while searches were important for the prevention and detection of crime, there was discrimination at an operational level. Previous Home Office statistics on police searches had already shown that black people are more likely to be searched than white people compared to their presence in the resident population. The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry made a number of recommendations for stops and searches, including: (1) ensuring effective daily supervision of search forms and use of a quality control framework; (2) use of a database for analyzing searches, conducting audits and checks of other force systems, holding to account key personnel; (3) using searches within an intelligence-led approach and as part of planned operations with the consent of local communities; (4) seeking the active participation of community residents, increasing public awareness of police powers and people's rights, and carrying out a marketing campaign as part of a broader strategy to encourage a more positive view of searches and of policing generally. Tables, boxes, references