Stop and search ‘colour discrepancy’ laid bare
Black people eight times more likely to be searched, though white people were more often found to carry drugs
Black people are eight times more likely to be stopped and searched than white people, even though white people are more likely to be carrying drugs.
That is just one of the “troubling” findings on stop-and-search practices in a new report by the police watchdog into the legitimacy of policing across England and Wales.
HM Inspectorate of Constabulary found a third of white suspects searched for drugs were carrying them, compared to a quarter of black people.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The report said this discrepancy may be because black people are subjected to “weaker grounds for suspicion” than white people, “particularly in respect of drugs”. Police officials have warned that the disproportionate use of stop and search powers on black, Asian and ethnic minority people is “threatening public trust and confidence in the police” and recommended forces should implement further training to “tackle unconscious bias”.
The London Evening Standard says stop and search has “repeatedly attracted controversy”, prompting the then home secretary Theresa May to introduce reforms in 2014 to ensure the tactic was used in a more targeted way.
“The debate about whether the use of stop and search powers is effective comes amid a rise in violent crime, particularly knife and gun crime,” says The Times.
Officers can only stop and search people if they have “reasonable grounds” to suspect they are carrying illegal items such as drugs, weapons or stolen property. A Home Office study of London boroughs released last year found that “surge” tactics, in which massive increases in stops were used, found “no statistically significant crime-reducing effect”.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
What's behind Trump's last-minute merch push?
Today's Big Question With just weeks to go before the election, Donald Trump is spending the waning days of his campaign hawking a suite of new products, from silver coins to cryptocurrency
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Kamala Harris' plan to raise taxes on corporations and the wealthy
the explainer Tweaks, rather than sweeping overhauls, characterize the Democratic nominee's proposals
By David Faris Published
-
Rowan Jacobsen's 6 favorite books that explore our relationship with food
Feature The award-winning author recommends works by Harold McGee, Kristin Kimball, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Tourist sparks bomb alert after accidentally ordering a 'grenade'
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Green man will stay on longer for fat Brits
feature And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
George Floyd legacy: what has changed in the US three years on
feature Police officers are more accountable but has ‘white empathy’ hit a wall?
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
How your laughter shows when you’re in love
feature And other stories from the stranger side of life
By The Week Staff Published
-
US elite crime-fighting units: a recipe for trouble?
feature Tyre Nichols’ death in Memphis highlights the dangers of using of elite crime-fighting units
By The Week Staff Published
-
What happened to Tyre Nichols?
Speed Read President Biden calls for ‘peaceful protest’ ahead of video release showing Memphis police officers fatally injuring 29-year-old
By Jamie Timson Published
-
What Harry & Meghan reveals about the Duchess of Sussex’s reputation within the royal family
feature New Netflix documentary shines a light on the British monarchy’s relationship with the patriarchy and whiteness
By The Week Staff Published
-
Three children dead after plunging into frozen Solihull lake
Speed Read Search continues for unconfirmed number of other children, with rescue ‘now a recovery operation’
By The Week Staff Published