Award for academic behind police reform

AN ACADEMIC whose PhD research led to fundamental reform of Police Scotland’s stop-and-search policy has won a £10,000 award.

Dr Kath Murray has been named as the winner of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) prize in the early career impact category for her work.

Stop-and-search was a flagship policy of the old Strathclyde force before being embraced by Police Scotland.

However, barely any academic research had been carried out into it. In January 2014, Dr Murray presented interim findings of her Edinburgh University doctorate into stop and search.

She revealed people in Scotland were four times more likely to be frisked than individuals in England and exposed how thousands of children had been searched.

Dr Murray also lifted the lid on the practice of “non-statutory” searches, which had no basis in law.

The findings led to searches on under-12s being banned and non-statutory frisks being stopped completely.

As revealed by the Sunday Herald, Police Scotland also tried to undermine the research ahead of publication. Police chief Wayne Mawson was behind a 16-point plan that included trying to enlist the Lord Advocate in a bid to weaken the impact of the findings.

He also wanted “positive” newspaper articles on stopand-search two days before the Murray report was published and the force organised a press conference ahead of publication.

Dr Murray said: “I’m delighted, and deeply honoured, to receive the ESRC early career impact prize. It means a great deal.”