Government orders review of stop and search policy

In launching a consultation over plans to make stop and search more intelligence-led, Home Secretary Theresa May revealed that just nine per cent of the one million stop and searches each year result in an arrest.

The plans have been welcomed by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), which detailed in its 2010 Stop and Think report how Asian people were stopped and searched twice as often as white people and black people six times as often as white people.

EHRC chief executive Mark Hammond said: “Stop and search is a necessary and useful power. If it is used proportionally and intelligently the police can protect the public, reduce crime and disorder and improve relations with black and ethnic minority groups. There is no evidence to suggest that disproportionately targeting black and Asian people reduces crime.”

Last month, the EHRC updated its research on the issue in the report Stop and Think Again, which revealed that efforts to reduce crime rates were not hindered when police forces took action to cut the rate and disproportionality of stop and search.

Hammond added: “This announcement follows on from our own work with several police forces which proved that they were able to reduce their unfair use of stop and search by promoting intelligence-led use of these powers rather than one based on racial stereotypes, and at the same time continue to reduce crime rates.”