BAME people in Yorkshire disproportionately stopped and searched by police for drugs and weapons, Home Office figures show

Black people in Yorkshire are still being 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 general arrests by the region's four police forces – meaning they were statistically twice as likely to be arrested.

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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.

Officers carrying out a stop and search on a man as figures reveal police have carried out the highest number of stop and searches in seven years. Picture: paOfficers carrying out a stop and search on a man as figures reveal police have carried out the highest number of stop and searches in seven years. Picture: pa
Officers carrying out a stop and search on a man as figures reveal police have carried out the highest number of stop and searches in seven years. Picture: pa

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 all stop 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 Humberside, North, South and West Yorkshire police forces, Black people who were searched were more likely to be arrested than white people stopped.

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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 stopped.

Sheffield knife crime campaigner Anthony Olaseinde, who says he has been stopped and searched by officers in the past out of what he felt was racial profilingSheffield knife crime campaigner Anthony Olaseinde, who says he has been stopped and searched by officers in the past out of what he felt was racial profiling
Sheffield knife crime campaigner Anthony Olaseinde, who says he has been stopped and searched by officers in the past out of what he felt was racial profiling

Anthony Olaseinde, an anti-knife crime campaigner in Sheffield who is mixed race, said he had been stopped multiple times by police in the past and was used to being followed around shops by security guards.

"When I was younger I would get stopped a lot for ridiculous reasons," he said.

"Sometimes it was genuine lines of enquiry but on some occasions I could tell officers were suspicious of me because of the colour of my skin.

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"It is only a minority and most people now are not racist. But when it comes to racial profiling, I think there is nowhere near enough being done about it.

Officers carrying out a stop and search on a man as figures reveal police have carried out the highest number of stop and searches in seven years. Picture: paOfficers carrying out a stop and search on a man as figures reveal police have carried out the highest number of stop and searches in seven years. Picture: pa
Officers carrying out a stop and search on a man as figures reveal police have carried out the highest number of stop and searches in seven years. Picture: pa

"Another thing I notice is I am often followed around shops by security, both by white and Black guards."

It comes as the stop search figures released on Tuesday showed police in England & Wales carried out a record 558,973 searches in 2019/20 – the highest number 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.

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Assistant Chief Constable Tim Forber, of South Yorkshire Police, said the use of stop and search powers were regularly scrutinised by an independent ethics panel to ensure they were being appropriately conducted, as well as with the use of body-worn cameras for officers.

The Home Office has released figures for both the numbers of overall arrests and stop searches carried out by police last yearThe Home Office has released figures for both the numbers of overall arrests and stop searches carried out by police last year
The Home Office has released figures for both the numbers of overall arrests and stop searches carried out by police last year

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.”

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Assistant Chief Constable Angela Williams of West Yorkshire Police added: "Figures show people from BAME backgrounds are generally over-represented in stop and search figures nationally. Police Forces and Senior Officers continue to examine disparity in stop and search data and work directly with local communities to listen to their concerns. The force is also part way through rolling out unconscious bias training to all front line officers and staff. This should be completed by the end of this year.

"Drugs misuse is present across all levels of society and is not confined to any particular community. People committing drugs offences do so knowing that it is an offence which will be dealt in accordance with the law. Working with partners, there is also a great deal of support offered to those suffering through addiction."

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