Clarification of research findings published today in relation to gun and knife crime

A report in today's Times newspaper cited research conducted for the Children's Commissioner for England, which suggested that police stop and search tactics cut gun and knife crime.

As the author of the research cited in The Times, the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies would like to make clear that the research does not support such claims. The Centre did not brief anyone within the office of the Children's Commissioner for England, or at The Times, that stop and search was an effective tool.

Speaking today, Dr Roger Grimshaw, research director at the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies and one of the report authors said,

'It is misleading to claim that our research indicates that stop and search operations by the police are a proven means of tackling knife crime.'

'Among research on many forms of intervention, we found evidence on organised policing interventions related to gun crime largely drawn from the United States. The positive results of comprehensive anti-gun programmes with multi-agency support were typically short-term.'

'We found no clear evidence about the impact of police operations in relation to knife crime.'