Black People disproportionately targeted by Welsh police according to new data

According to the latest official government figures, Black people were nearly eight times more likely to have force used against them, by Welsh police than white people in 2019/20.

Police officers from behind
Action plan on race will be scrutinised by new board and black communities (Getty)

Black people are still being disproportionately targeted by Welsh police, new data has revealed.

The data from official government figures found for the year to March 2020, Black people are more likely to be detained under the Mental Health Act and have force used against them compared to white people in Wales.

Black people in Wales were also more likely to stopped and searched compared to white people in 2019/20.

According to the latest official government figures, Black people were nearly eight times more likely to have force used against them, by Welsh police than white people in 2019/20.

With methods like handcuffing, dispatching tasers, batons, or firearms more likely to be used against you if you are Black.  

The shocking statistics echo the experience of Black people in England. According to the Home Office, Police, Powers and Procedures report in the year ending March 2020, in England and Wales, 558,973 stop and searches conducted.

This was an increase of 52% compared to the previous year, with 192,061 more stop and searches occurring. This is the highest number of stop and searches since 2013/14, which saw 872,518 stop and searches.

Additionally, Police in England and Wales carried out 18,081 stop and searches under section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act, which permits stop and search to take place in a particular area for a period of time.

Individuals from Black, Asian and minority ethnic background were stopped at a rate 4.1 times higher than those who were from a White ethnic group in England and Wales during 2019/20.

The Metropolitan Police accounted for a large proportion of all stop and searches conducted in England and Wales, with stop and searches by the Met making up 48% in the year 2019/20.

In the year ending March 2020, 76% of stop and searches in England and Wales resulted in the principle outcome being recorded as needing ‘No further action’.

For Black people in Wales they were nearly three times more likely than white people to be detained by police under the Mental Health Act in 2019/20.

The findings also found, Welsh police forces have recruited just 13 black police officers in 2019/20, which is the same number as the previous year. According to the statistics, only 0.2% of the Welsh police force is Black and 93.3% is white.

Black people make up 0.7% of the population in Wales and the latest statistics on Black officers show more is needs to be done to have a force that represents the communities it serves.

The latest findings have caused concern for campaigners, who are calling for an end to “over policing” of Black communities in the UK.

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