WILTSHIRE Police has been praised for its use of stop and search powers.

In 2014, the Home Office and College of Policing launched the Best Use of Stop and Search (BUSS) scheme. The scheme aimed to achieve greater transparency and community involvement in the use of stop and search powers, and to support a more intelligence-led approach.

In 2015, HMIC assessed the compliance with each feature of the scheme in each police force. That inspection found that only 11 forces were complying with all five features of the scheme, 19 forces were not complying with one or two features of the scheme, while 13 forces were not complying with three or more features.

Wiltshire Police was one of the 13 forces not complying with three or more features of the scheme

This led to the Home Secretary suspending these 13 forces from the scheme in February.

But following a reinspection, Wiltshire Police has been readmitted.

Police and Crime Commissioner for Wiltshire and Swindon, Angus Macpherson, said:"I am pleased that Wiltshire Police are now meeting the Stop and Search requirements and have been re-admitted to the national scheme, having been inspected by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary.

"Getting excluded from the BUSS scheme was not good for the force. Getting accepted back on to the scheme was therefore vital, but, whilst there have been improvements made, there is still work to be done and ways in which Wiltshire Police can continue to improve the service it provides around Stop and Search.

"My role as Commissioner is to represent the voice of our community. The way in which we utilise Stop and Search is a key part of that.

"Involving members of the public in scrutinising the work of the police is crucial to ensuring transparency, so I am pleased to see that Wiltshire Police are inviting members of the public to offer an independent review of this area of work through a Stop and Search scrutiny panel."