Met to record ethnicity data in stops

THE Metropolitan Police on Monday (18) launched a pilot project to record ethnicity data for vehicle stops by officers.

The move will help to better understand proportionality relating to ethnicity, a statement said.

Roads policing officers across London will record the location and time of the vehicle stop, ethnic background, sex and age of the driver, and the make and model of the vehicle at the end of the stop, the Met added.

The pilot will run over six months with a report expected published in summer.

Met operations commander Kyle Gordon said: “It is right and proper that we are transparent and accountable in the use of our powers, and this pilot will help us assess our proportionality in relation to vehicle stops.”

London mayor, Sadiq Khan, said: “I welcome the launch of this pilot which was a key commitment in my Action Plan (in November 2020) to improve trust and confidence in the Met police.

“We’ve listened and responded to the continued frustrations of black Londoners, who are concerned that they are six times more likely to be stopped in a car than a white person.

“This pilot will help us to begin to assess and address concerns about racial profiling and disproportionality in our city.”