Skin Colour as Suspicion: On the Interaction Between ‘Dangerous Places’ and ‘Racial Profiling’

Abstract

Due to their legal vagueness and the associated expansion of police discretion, police powers to stop and question are subject to legal concerns. This article takes up this criticism and explains that the definition of ‘dangerous places’ leads to increased stop and search pressure on people of colour and favours racial profiling. The various approaches to the legal and practical classification of racial profiling are discussed and it is argued that suspicion based on skin colour is neither socially acceptable nor lawful. Finally, the article points out individual ways to minimise the negative effects of the authority norm for identity checks in ‘dangerous places’.