Stop and search up 70% over last year in the West Midlands

Liana Bravo
Nov 1 · 1 min read
Photograph: West Midlands Police

2000 people, including a child under the age of 10, were searched in September by the West Midlands police under stop and search procedures. This represents an increase of more than 70% over the same period in 2018, where 1174 people were stopped in the region.

The figures come just weeks after an official report published by the Home Office warned of the “potentially negative impact on trust in the police that an increase in stop and search might have”, particularly in “a part of the community where trust/confidence levels are typically low”.

People from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds were targeted 22% more than white people. 980 people from those ethnic groups were targeted, compared to 800 who identified as white.

As for the object of search, in 3 of every 5 cases the police were looking for controlled drugs, followed by offensive weapons (on 342 occasions).

In 3 out of 4 cases no further action was taken, and 1 out of 10 ended in arrest.

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