Stop and search. Not such a black and white issue after all.

The Scotsman this Saturday has its main story screaming out from the front page in a very Daily Mail like fashion. But what troubles me more is that my take on the story has me uncomfortably sounding like the reader of that very paper that is not fit to wrap one's chips in.

But I am who I am and I can't help but think that having one's bag or body searched takes a mere few minutes and as long as the police are polite and respectful then I don't really see what the problem is.

Non-white people are targetted for stop and search six times more often than white people? This may seem like thinly-veiled racism but the fact surely remains that any future attempted terrorist attack is at least six times more likely to be committed by a non-white person.

Of course, whether stop-and-search is value for money given how rare an attack is is another question... But, beyond foolproof MI5 intelligence, it's our only effective defence if lamentable events like the tube bombings and the Glasgow Airport attacks are to contiunue for years to come.

We could have our 'bobbies on the beat' just wandering around or we could have them searching bags during quieter periods. There may be a very low chance of finding something on such searches, but I know what I would prefer our police did with their time.

And if they're going to do the searches, we might as well optimise their chances of finding something...

But then, the above only applies if the reason for the search is to specifically prevent some sort of suicide attack or terrorist reprisal for the UK's involvement in Iraq/Afghanistan. To search a non-white person for drugs or knives more regularly than a white person is patently wrong.

Some may argue (rightly or wrongly, I have no idea) that the perpetrators of drug or knife related crime tend to be non-white. The simple argument against such a mindset is that of course they will be if that sub-group of the population are the only ones getting searched!

But overall, I can only conclude that even if stop and search is a waste of time, it may be perfectly understandable to grumble but one should only complain particularly loudly if she or he has something to hide...