Stop and Search- A generational and racial divide on how people feel about its use.

At the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), a key part of our role is to help improve public confidence in policing. As Regional Director for London and the lead on discrimination for the IOPC I know stop and search is a divisive issue.

Our new commissioned research confirms starkly how divisive it is.

Survey says..

While most people believe the UK police respond in a fair and proportionate way when dealing with the public on incidents, recent research suggests nearly half of those surveyed think stop and search is either not applied as it should be or is unnecessary.

The figures have been released by the IOPC following a national survey of adults across England and Wales in November 2020.

Generally, the results showed high and consistent confidence in the UK police’s proportionality in dealing with incidents involving members of the public. The majority of those surveyed (72%) think that UK police respond in a fair and proportionate way when dealing with incidents that involve members of the public.

However, when asked specifically about use of stop and search, confidence levels fluctuated. While 80% of those surveyed think stop and search is necessary, nearly half of those surveyed (49%) think the tactic is either not applied as it should be or is unnecessary.

What does this tell us?

So its clear that the use of stop and search was an issue on which different age and ethnic groups have vastly different views.

This research indicates that those aged 55+ and those who are white tend to agree to a larger extent that stop and search is necessary and the police currently is using it in the right way.

On the other hand, respondents from a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) background and those aged 18-24 are much more likely to see stop and search as unnecessary and something that the police should stop using in their work.

Of those respondents who felt stop and search is not applied as it should, disproportionality and lack of reasonable grounds were the key reasons selected by respondents.

Reflections

Stop and search is one of the most intrusive powers police have. There are mixed views on its effectiveness on crime rates and for young people and people from BAME backgrounds it can feel discriminatory and disproportionate.

From our own work, we have seen the smell of cannabis as the sole grounds given for stop and search, which is not in accordance with authorised police practice. We’ve seen handcuffs used when other tactics could have de-escalated the situation and a general lack of understanding about the impact of disproportionality.

Again, we are calling for police forces to work much more closely with and listen to these voices – does the current practice need to be changed?

Young people and people from BAME backgrounds have lower confidence in the police – if police forces don’t start taking these concerns seriously, the effects will continue to be felt as future generations continue to mistrust the police.

And that is a situation that ultimately will benefit no-one.

Notes to editors

The research, conducted for the IOPC by consultancy firm Yonder, aimed to explore public perceptions relating to the IOPC and the police complaints system, against the backdrop of news stories and events.

The survey was conducted between 27-29 November 2020 and included data from 1,833 adults in England and Wales.

In 2019/20, data showed people from BAME background were over four times more likely to be stopped and searched than White people. Black people specifically were almost nine times more likely to be stopped and searched.

A HMICFRS report published last week also called for police forces to explain the disproportionate use of police powers such as stop and search and use of force on Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people or risk losing the trust of the communities they serve.

Last year, research(link is external) was published showing 85% of Black people do not believe that they would be treated the same as a white person by the police.