Wow, really insightful... but missing the point.
Just because someone's been a victim of crime, you don't create justice by clumsily stopping youths en masse (which the evidence suggests happens, regularly). There's a lot of academic literature that undermines the efficacy of stop and search in reducing crime overall (as opposed to spot-reductions for very limited types of crime in very specific areas).
Harassing people on the street undermines the relationship between police and the citizens they serve. That really hurts when you need a community to co-operate with an investigation, be witnesses etc., because the assumption becomes "they're out to get us".
It's not as pragmatic as some seem to think.
My first reply to this thread was to put forward a request to anyone who has ever been stopped and searched by police when part of a male group to say if they'd ever had the encounter begin without being put up to a building or onto the pavement?
However I stepped back a second to realise just how long ago my life was actually like that. If this is the approach they are teaching and consistently put into practice today then good on them, it'll be a struggle to change stubborn minds but time solves all.
I meant to write "they", referring to the original police post or OPP (yeh you know me) if you will.
If you wish for my perception of the officers interaction with the public - I would much rather my children be interacted with by the Police like this than how I have been. In terms of their application of technical duties I cannot comment, but I will comment on their attitude and say that it was nice to see. I hope this is not cherry picked.
As far as misconceptions go... well, if I tell you how we could tell whether there was an actual crime or if they just wanted to find something/chance it by how they came up on you it makes it a little harder to characterise the beliefs some people hold as misconceptions - maybe "outdated", hopefully.
