To use the language of the Wild West: "There is a new sheriff in town." He is Ian Blair (no relation) and he takes on the post of commissioner of the Metropolitan Police in the New Year. He has already laid the groundwork for a new approach by announcing the implementation of Section 61 of the Macpherson report that followed the Stephen Lawrence inquiry. Police officers will be required to record every stop and search. On a form, they will have to note the name, address and date of birth of the person they have stopped, tick a box indicating whether he or she is a driver, passenger or pedestrian, state the person's ethnic identity, explain the reason for the stop and search, and describe the outcome. Most importantly, the person stopped will be given a copy of the record.

The outgoing commissioner, John Stevens, refused to implement this recommendation of Macpherson's report. Blair tells me that he initially opposed it, but has since changed his mind. Those against the move complained that the process would take too much time: they calculated, after some multiplication, that the number of man hours that would be lost made it detrimental to good policing. It was political correctness gone mad, they said.

I have the form in question, and it seems short and sweet to me. So I welcome this development, though with caution. I have never been convinced that stop and search powers contribute much to solving crimes. And the inconvenience and humiliation suffered by the people who are stopped seem to far outweigh any possible benefits. I speak from personal experience. I have been stopped and searched countless times, as have my three sons. Not once has a criminal charge followed. This harassment has been directed mainly at young blacks, and I was among the first generation of young blacks in this country. The practice was used as an exercise of police power. They were telling us: "We are the bosses of the streets." We victims had our own view: "The white man is the boss." And how we rebelled, at first mildly and then in mass insurrection and bouts of violence. Stop and search was resisted by one and all in the black community, and now in the Asian community, too.

How does a simple act of recording make a difference? It alters the balance of power: in having to record their actions, the police are accountable to us. If this is a sign that the new regime will be people-oriented, I am all for it. We shall see in time.