Black men aged 18-24 are 19 times more likely to be stopped and searched in London

UCL will review how the Metropolitan police force uses stop and search quarterly

Protesters in London hold up a sign calling for police defunding

NEW DATA analysis shows that compared to the rest of the population, Black men aged between 18-24 were almost 20 times more likely to be stopped and searched between July and September this year.

Despite this the Metropolitan police have said they are not targeting Black men.

Dr Matt Ashby from UCL analysed data released by London police.

It revealed that almost 70% of searches happened in the most deprived places (places that are more deprived than average).

Most searches took place in Westminster, Newham and Southwark.

80% of searches for weapons under section 60 took place in the most deprived half of neighbourhoods.

Section 60 has always been controversial, because it gives police powers to search anyone in an area.

Less searches than usual, though still too many

The report also found that the police did more than 5,000 searches every week in London.

Though this figure sounds high, the data shows it’s actually 30% less searches than London police carried out in the previous quarter.

This is unusual, as the number of searches had been increasing since 2018.

Does stop and search decrease crime?

Dr Ashby pointed out that a College of Policing review found that more police searches do not necessarily reduce crime.

Despite this, the police insist the controversial tactic helps take “drugs and criminals” off the streets, particularly when it is “intelligence-led.”

They also claim it keeps weapons off the streets. However, just one in six stop and searches are for weapons. More than 60% of them are for drugs.

Data released by the Home Office does not say whether police find what they’re looking for when they stop and search Londoners.

Dr Ashby analysed how many searches led to arrests or similar formal outcomes to try and work it out.

It’s not a perfect technique. A person might be arrested for something unrelated to their search – for example an outstanding arrest warrant.

At the same time, police might find drugs when they search someone, but not arrest them at all.

Just under a quarter of searches led to an arrest, a caution, a fixed penalty, a drugs warning or something similar, according to the report.

In fact, in the last two years, the proportion of stop and searches that lead to a formal outcome have decreased.

Who is being searched?

More than 90% of searches were of men and boys. Though 32% of those who were searched described themselves as Black or Black British, Dr Ashby highlights that being a male and under 35 makes you more likely to be searched than being non-white.

According to the report, Black men aged 18-24 were also more likely to be searched for stolen goods, drugs, firearms and weapons than other groups.

Dr Ashby believes it is likely that a small number of Black men in this age group are being stopped and searched repeatedly. However, police do not collect this data.

Police response

A Metropolitan police spokesperson said: “The Met is not targeting Black men. There is disparity in the use of stop and search in relation to gender, age and race.

“Sadly different crimes tend to affect different groups more than others and it remains a tragic truth that knife crime and street violence in London, disproportionately affects boys and young men, particularly of African-Caribbean heritage, both in terms of being victims and perpetrators. Equally, areas of London with higher crime levels, particularly violent crime, often tend to be home to more diverse communities, both resident and transient.

“We very deliberately are targeting and putting more resources into areas blighted by higher levels of violence and other serious crime. We use a range of tactics to tackle violence of which stop and search is just one element. Stop and search is effective at removing dangerous weapons, drugs and criminals from the streets.

“That said we do not underestimate the impact that the use of stop and search has on some individuals and that it continues to cause significant concern within some BAME communities. We absolutely acknowledge there is a gap in confidence here but also know that 81% of Londoners agree that we should use stop and search and 73% are confident in our use of it (figs from Public Attitude Survey 20/21).

“The increased use of intelligence led stop and search has resulted in large quantities of drugs and dangerous weapons being taken off the streets. Over 22% of all our searches detect criminality, resulting in either arrests, seizures of weapons or other items, penalty notices, summons to court or other judicial outcomes. In the current rolling 12-month period to 31 October, stop and search resulted in over 69,500 acts of detected criminality, including over 34,500 arrests.

“In the instance that a stop and search does not lead to further action it can still be a positive interaction. Officers will explain what they were doing and why they are doing it which the vast majority of public understand and hopefully feel reassured the Met is committed to being within their communities, working around the clock to remove harmful weapons from the streets of London, reduce violence and keep the public safe.

“We know that to maintain public confidence in the use of stop and search powers we must apply them in a fair, effective and professional manner. All frontline officers are equipped with body worn cameras so there is a clear and impartial record of our interactions with the public including stop and searches. In the rolling twelve months to 31 October, we conducted over 313,578 searches of which generated 1,466 complaint allegations (0.46%) arising from 845 cases. However we fully understand that many of our Black communities do not have confidence in the complaints system and may not complain and we are working hard to improve our engagement and encourage anyone dissatisfied with any encounter to complain so we can improve.”

The report analysed data that the Home Office publishes here.

You can read the full report here.

UCL will analyse data on stop and search in London each quarter.

Comments Form

1 Comment

  1. | Chaka Artwell

    But until Her Majesty’s African-heritage Subjects can produce a solution to the peer-to-peer violence and delinquency that has claimed the lives of over 250 African-heritage youths since 2014 in London and other English towns, the Police are between a Rock & a Hard Place.

    Reply

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