Minorities being searched more, policedatashows

Figures reveal disproportionate arrests

ETHNIC MINORITY people in Yorkshire are still disproportionately targeted in police searches and over- represented in arrest statistics, figures reveal.

Data released this week shows that nearly four per cent of stop searches under the Police and Criminal Evidence ( PACE) Act in Yorkshire & the Humber last year were carried out on people of Black ethnicity, despite being 1.5 per cent of the overall population.

Black people in the region also accounted for three per cent of all arrests by the region’s four police forces – meaning they were statistically twice as likely to be arrested.

For comparison, 64 per cent of all arrests in Yorkshire last year were on people marked as white ethnicity, despite the region’s population being 88 per cent white according to the most recent Government data.

The figures for the year ending March 2020 only include arrests and searches where the person’s ethnicity was stated.

Asian people were also more likely to be stopped by police, with 11 per cent of PACE searches carried out on those of Asian ethnicity despite them making up seven per cent of the population.

Of the 36,609 stop searches carried out across Yorkshire, Black people who were searched were more likely to be arrested than white people.

Some 21 per cent of Black people

stopped and searched under PACE were arrested, compared with 14.5 per cent of white people and 15 per cent of Asian people.

It comes as the stop search figures released on Tuesday showed police in England & Wales carried out a record 558,973 searches on members of the public last year – the highest since 2013/ 14.

South Yorkshire Police carried out more searches than any other force in Yorkshire ( 16,226), despite the county having a smaller population than West Yorkshire.

Assistant Chief Constable Tim Forber, of South Yorkshire Police, said the use of stop and search powers was regularly scrutinised by an independent ethics panel.

He said: “An officer will use stop and search when they have reasonable grounds to suspect a person is in possession of an illegal item, stolen property or something that may help them to commit crime. This makes it invaluable to us in terms of preventing crime, identifying offenders and keeping our communities safe.

“In 2019, we launched our Serious Violent Crime Task Force. This is a dedicated proactive unit in place to detect, prevent and disrupt serious violent crime. The team enhances existing neighbourhood resources by being a highly visible presence in areas which see higher reports of serious and violent crime. Stop and search is one of the many tactics at their disposal.

“It’s important every stop and search is conducted in a fair, transparent and professional manner. Our activity in this regard is subject to scrutiny by the PCC’s Independent Ethics Panel, who have had the opportunity to review not only data, but also the body worn video of stop and search encounters.”

I think there is nowhere near enough being done about racial profiling. Anthony Olaseinde, anti- knife crime campaigner.