Police powers and procedures statistics for England and Wales
In response to today's statistics on police powers and procedures, APCC EDHR Lead, Hardyal Dhindsa, and APCC Serious Violence Lead, Mark Burns-Williamson, said the following:
"Stop and Search is an important tool in the fight against Serious Violence. However, if we are to reduce the number of young people carrying weapons, we must take a broader approach rooted in public health principles, which aims to divert young people away from criminal activity. Many PCCs are already pioneering these approaches locally through their Violence Reduction Units (VRUs).
"Although we have much further to go in terms of addressing disproportionality in the use of Stop and Search, we are cautiously optimistic to note that for the first time in a number of years there has been a slight decrease in the disparity faced by Black people and other Minority Ethnic groups in the use of this power. We cannot be complacent though, and more needs to be done to reduce disproportionality for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) members of our communities, particularly for those who are Black.
"Across England and Wales, Community Scrutiny Panels and other bodies are in place - a number of which are administered or supported by Offices of Police and Crime Commissioners. These provide an opportunity for members of the public to scrutinise the way that police powers are used in their areas; we would encourage anyone who is concerned about disproportionality or any other relevant issues to explore what scrutiny measures exist locally, and if possible consider getting involved."