Stop and Search

The Times has 2 pieces on the massive upsurge in the use of stop and search powers - a rise which has disproportionately affected ethnic minorities. This has been defended by police on the grounds that it is needed to combat terrorism.

There are so many issues one could talk about here, but I just want to pick out one line from the Met's defence: apparently stop and search is a vital tactic intended to "create a hostile environment for terrorists and provide a visible reassurance to the public".

I accept (as most surely do) that sometimes police work is going to inconvenience me. This is a very small price to pay for steps that make me safer. But 'reassuring the public' I'm less sure about - can you legitimately ask people to accept inconvenience in the name of 'reassuring the public'?