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1. Main facts and figures
- overall, there were 277,378 stop and search incidents in England and Wales in the financial year 2017/18, at a rate of 5 per 1,000 people; down from 23 incidents per 1,000 people in 2009/10
- rates of stop and search have fallen for every ethnic group since 2009/10 – however, they have fallen at different rates for different groups
- in 2017/18, there were 3 stop and searches for every 1,000 White people, compared with 29 stop and searches for every 1,000 Black people
- Black people were 9 and a half times as likely to be stopped and searched as White people in 2017/18; the previous year they were just over 8 times as likely, and in 2014/15 they were just over 4 times as likely
- among specific ethnic groups, the Chinese and Mixed White/Asian groups have consistently had the lowest rates of stop and search since 2009/10
- the Metropolitan Police in London was the police force area with the highest rate of stop and search incidents in 2017/18, with 16 stop and searches for every 1,000 people
Things you need to know
When looking at stop and search rates by area, it’s important to note that a person stopped and searched in a particular area may not live in that area.
Population estimates for police force areas are based on permanent residents of that area, as reported in the 2011 Census, and do not include visitors. It is likely that ethnic breakdowns have changed since 2011 and these changes are not accounted for in the figures. Figures that compare the total population with the number of stop and searches should be considered estimates only.
You can see the number of stop and search incidents by area and ethnicity if you download the data. Differences in the number of stop and search incidents between ethnic minorities in some areas are likely, in part, to reflect the differing ethnic makeup of the population living in those areas. The numbers will also be affected by the ethnicity of visitors to those areas.
Although the person being stopped and searched is usually asked for their ethnicity, the circumstances in which this information is requested may affect the accuracy provided or recorded. This can be seen by the high rate of stop and search incidents for the 'Other' categories within most ethnic groups.
Where a person’s ethnicity was not identified or was unknown during a stop and search, their ethnicity is recorded as 'unreported' in this data.
The overall rate given in this data (presented under ‘All’ in the charts and tables) includes people recorded as ‘unreported’.
The percentage of stop and search incidents assigned to ‘unreported’ ethnicity during the last 12 years is as follows:
- 2006/07 – 10%
- 2007/08 – 7%
- 2008/09 – 6%
- 2009/10 – 5%
- 2010/11 – 4%
- 2011/12 – 4%
- 2012/13 – 5%
- 2013/14 – 5%
- 2014/15 – 6%
- 2015/16 – 9%
- 2016/17 – 10%
- 2017/18 – 11%
Estimates of rates per 1,000 people in charts and tables are given to the nearest whole number. Percentage changes over time and comparisons between different ethnic groups have been calculated using unrounded data.
From 2017/18, stop and search figures have included stops under the Terrorism Act. All figures have been amended to reflect this (although there were no stop and searches conducted under this legislation between 2011/12 to 2016/17).
What the data measures
The data measures the 'stop and search rate' for different ethnic groups in England and Wales. It compares the number of people stopped and searched from a particular ethnic group with the total number of people from that ethnic group living in the area (according to the 2011 Census), and calculates a rate per 1,000 people.
Stop and search is a police power to stop, question and search a person who is suspected of doing something illegal, such as carrying illegal drugs.
The police have the power to stop and search under the following 3 legislative powers:
- Section 1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence (PACE) Act 1984 and associated legislation
- Section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994
- Section 44/47A of the Terrorism Act 2000
The figures don’t include vehicle-only searches, except those made by British Transport Police.
The ethnic categories used in this data
While the population estimates in this data are based on the results of the 2011 Census, the ethnic categories used are those listed in the 2001 Census. This is because these ethnic categories are easier to compare with the categories used when recording stop and search.
The 16 categories listed in the 2001 Census are broadly the same as those used in the 2011 Census, with the following exceptions:
- the 2001 Census categorised Chinese people within the 'Other’ ethnic group
- the 2001 Census did not include ethnic groups for Gypsy/Roma, Irish Traveller or Arab people
The 2001 categories are therefore as follows:
White:
- English/Welsh/Scottish/Northern Irish/British
- Irish
- Any other White background
Mixed/Multiple ethnic groups:
- White and Black Caribbean
- White and Black African
- White and Asian
- Any other Mixed/Multiple ethnic background
Asian/Asian British:
- Indian
- Pakistani
- Bangladeshi
- Any other Asian background
Black/ African/ Caribbean/ Black British:
- African
- Caribbean
- Any other Black/ African/ Caribbean background
Other ethnic group:
- Chinese
- Any other ethnic group
2. By ethnicity
| Ethnicity | Stop and search rate per 1,000 people | Number |
|---|---|---|
| All | 5 | 277,378 |
| Asian | 8 | 28,792 |
| Bangladeshi | 13 | 5,995 |
| Indian | 3 | 4,220 |
| Pakistani | 7 | 7,927 |
| Asian other | 13 | 10,650 |
| Black | 29 | 54,389 |
| Black African | 19 | 18,363 |
| Black Caribbean | 26 | 15,674 |
| Black other | 73 | 20,352 |
| Mixed | 9 | 10,469 |
| Mixed White/Asian | 3 | 879 |
| Mixed White/Black African | 7 | 1,202 |
| Mixed White/Black Caribbean | 10 | 4,326 |
| Mixed other | 14 | 4,062 |
| White | 3 | 147,324 |
| White British | 3 | 123,519 |
| White Irish | 4 | 2,168 |
| White other | 9 | 21,637 |
| Other including Chinese | 5 | 4,661 |
| Chinese | 1 | 474 |
| Any other | 7 | 4,187 |
| Unknown | N/A* | 31,743 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity’ (CSV)
Summary of Stop and search By ethnicity Summary
This data shows that:
- overall, there were 277,378 stop and search incidents in England and Wales (excluding vehicle-only searches) in the financial year 2017/18, at a rate of 5 per 1,000 people
- White people accounted for 86% of the total population of England and Wales in 2011, compared with 60% of stop and searches in 2017/18 (where ethnicity was known)
- among the broad ethnic groups, there were 3 stop and searches for every 1,000 White people, compared with 29 stop and searches for every 1,000 Black people
- among the specific ethnic groups, the lowest rates were found among the Chinese group (at 1 stop and search per 1,000 people), and the Mixed White and Asian, White British, and Indian groups (all at under 3 stop and search incidents per 1,000 people)
- the highest rates were found among the three Black ethnic groups - Other Black (at 73 stop and searches per 1,000 people), Black Caribbean (at 26 per 1,000 people) and Black African (at 19 per 1,000 people)
3. By ethnicity over time
| Ethnicity | 2009/10 | 2010/11 | 2011/12 | 2012/13 | 2013/14 | 2014/15 | 2015/16 | 2016/17 | 2017/18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rate | Rate | Rate | Rate | Rate | Rate | Rate | Rate | Rate | |
| All | 25 | 23 | 21 | 18 | 16 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 5 |
| Asian | 39 | 37 | 32 | 24 | 19 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 8 |
| Bangladeshi | 70 | 65 | 55 | 37 | 31 | 16 | 16 | 12 | 13 |
| Indian | 24 | 21 | 17 | 12 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Pakistani | 38 | 37 | 34 | 28 | 22 | 13 | 10 | 8 | 7 |
| Asian other | 48 | 49 | 44 | 33 | 28 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 13 |
| Black | 117 | 113 | 95 | 65 | 55 | 34 | 31 | 30 | 29 |
| Black African | 73 | 70 | 60 | 40 | 34 | 22 | 20 | 19 | 19 |
| Black Caribbean | 153 | 139 | 112 | 74 | 59 | 36 | 31 | 28 | 26 |
| Black other | 199 | 205 | 187 | 135 | 117 | 74 | 71 | 71 | 73 |
| Mixed | 35 | 31 | 29 | 23 | 20 | 13 | 10 | 9 | 9 |
| Mixed White/Asian | 12 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Mixed White/Black African | 28 | 24 | 21 | 17 | 15 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 7 |
| Mixed White/Black Caribbean | 49 | 44 | 38 | 32 | 27 | 17 | 13 | 11 | 10 |
| Mixed other | 44 | 39 | 42 | 34 | 28 | 18 | 15 | 13 | 14 |
| White | 19 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 13 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 3 |
| White British | 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| White Irish | 19 | 18 | 18 | 15 | 14 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 |
| White other | 41 | 36 | 35 | 31 | 27 | 17 | 13 | 10 | 9 |
| Other including Chinese | 21 | 19 | 16 | 13 | 12 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 5 |
| Chinese | 13 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Any other | 27 | 27 | 24 | 18 | 17 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 7 |
| Unknown | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity over time’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity over time’ (CSV)
Summary of Stop and search By ethnicity over time Summary
This data shows that:
- overall, the rates of stop and search in England and Wales declined during the period studied, from 25 per 1,000 people in 2009/10 to 5 per 1,000 people in 2017/18
- among the broad ethnic groups, the stop and search rate for White people was lower than the overall rate in every year of the period studied, while the rates for people from the Asian, Black, and Mixed ethnic groups were consistently higher than the overall rate
- Black people were 9 and a half times as likely to be stopped and searched as White people in 2017/18; the previous year they were just over 8 times as likely, and in 2014/15 they were just over 4 times as likely
- the stop and search rate for White people went down from 19 incidents per 1,000 White people in 2009/10 to 3 per 1,000 people in 2017/18 – a drop of 84%
- the stop and search rate for Asian people went down from 39 incidents per 1,000 Asian people in 2009/10 to 8 per 1,000 people in 2017/18 – a drop of 80%
- the stop and search rate for Black people went down from 117 incidents per 1,000 Black people in 2009/10 to 29 per 1,000 people in 2017/18 – a drop of 75%
- the stop and search rate for people with Mixed ethnicity went down from 35 incidents per 1,000 people in 2009/10 to 9 per 1,000 people in 2017/18 – a drop of 75%
- the stop and search rate for people from the Other (including Chinese) ethnic group went down from 21 per 1,000 people in 2009/10 to 5 per 1,000 people in 2017/18 – a drop of 77%
- among the specific ethnic groups, the Chinese and Mixed White/Asian groups consistently had the lowest rates of stop and search throughout the period studied, while the Black African, Black Caribbean and Other Black groups consistently had the highest rates
4. By ethnicity and area
| Police force area | All | Asian | Black | Mixed | White | Other inc Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rate per 1,000 | Rate per 1,000 | Rate per 1,000 | Rate per 1,000 | Rate per 1,000 | Rate per 1,000 | |
| All - including BTP | 5 | 8 | 29 | 9 | 3 | 5 |
| Avon & Somerset | 4 | 3 | 21 | 7 | 3 | 1 |
| Bedfordshire | 2 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| British Transport Police | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* |
| Cambridgeshire | 1 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Cheshire | 2 | 1 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Cleveland | 2 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Cumbria | 3 | 7 | 21 | 2 | 3 | not collected |
| Derbyshire | 1 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Devon & Cornwall | 3 | 4 | 24 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Dorset | 3 | 3 | 44 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| Durham | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Dyfed-Powys | 4 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 1 |
| Essex | 2 | 3 | 13 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| Gloucestershire | 3 | 4 | 33 | 8 | 2 | 3 |
| Greater Manchester | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Gwent | 2 | 3 | 3 | not collected | 1 | 1 |
| Hampshire | 4 | 4 | 42 | 8 | 3 | 2 |
| Hertfordshire | 6 | 7 | 23 | 8 | 4 | 5 |
| Humberside | 1 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| Kent | 3 | 5 | 34 | 8 | 3 | 9 |
| Lancashire | 2 | 3 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Leicestershire | 2 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Lincolnshire | 3 | 2 | 17 | 6 | 3 | 4 |
| London, City of | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* |
| Merseyside | 7 | 5 | 18 | 7 | 7 | 3 |
| Metropolitan Police | 16 | 13 | 40 | 15 | 9 | 9 |
| Norfolk | 3 | 3 | 29 | 7 | 2 | 1 |
| North Wales | 2 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| North Yorkshire | 2 | 8 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Northamptonshire | 2 | 3 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 4 |
| Northumbria | 2 | 4 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Nottinghamshire | 2 | 2 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| South Wales | 5 | 8 | 29 | 9 | 4 | 2 |
| South Yorkshire | 1 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Staffordshire | 3 | 8 | 23 | 7 | 2 | 3 |
| Suffolk | 2 | 3 | 18 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Surrey | 5 | 6 | 28 | 8 | 4 | 2 |
| Sussex | 3 | 7 | 38 | 5 | 3 | 3 |
| Thames Valley | 3 | 4 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 |
| Warwickshire | 3 | 4 | 33 | 9 | 3 | 2 |
| West Mercia | 4 | 15 | 46 | 9 | 3 | 1 |
| West Midlands | 4 | 6 | 13 | 8 | 3 | 1 |
| West Yorkshire | 4 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| Wiltshire | 1 | 2 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity and area’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity and area’ (CSV)
Summary of Stop and search By ethnicity and area Summary
This data shows that:
- in 2017/18, the biggest difference in stop and search rates between Black and White people was in Dorset, where Black people were 17 times more likely to be stopped and searched than White people; this was followed by West Mercia, where Black people were 15 times more likely to be stopped and searched than White people
- out of the broad ethnic groups, the rate for the Other (including Chinese) ethnic group was the lowest in 29 out of the 42 police force areas for which there was data
- Black people had the highest stop and search rates in every police force area for which there was data
- the stop and search rate for Asian people was 5 times higher than the rate for White people in West Mercia, and 4 times in North Yorkshire
- the stop and search rate for people with Mixed ethnicity was 4 times the rate for White people in Suffolk, Humberside and Nottinghamshire
- the Metropolitan Police in London had the highest overall rate of stop and search, at 16 incidents for every 1,000 people
- the police forces with the lowest overall rates of stop and search were Greater Manchester, Derbyshire, Cambridgeshire, Humberside, South Yorkshire, and Wiltshire, all at 1 incident for every 1,000 people in their respective areas
5. Methodology
Stop and search data has been collected from the 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales, and the British Transport Police, since 2009/10.
Under the code of practice for the Statutory Powers of stop and search, officers are required to make a record of the details of a stop and search at the time of the encounter. The person they stop and search can ask for a copy of the record, which reduces the risk of a stop and search going unrecorded.
Some police forces are moving towards electronic recording of stop and search to ensure that data is quickly and accurately transferred to their systems. Other forces still use paper records to record encounters, which are more likely to involve errors, or may not be uploaded into force systems in a timely manner.
The use of stop and search, and its subsequent recording, is monitored by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS). HMICFRS carries out regular inspections and produce reports on the inspections. Home Office statisticians also undertake quality assurance checks. Any inconsistencies or unusual trends are flagged with police forces, who are requested to either explain the trends, or resubmit to amend the data. All data is then confirmed by police forces before publication.
Population figures are based on the 2011 Census from the Office for National Statistics, broken down by ethnicity and police force area. Because stop and search data uses the ethnic categories from the 2001 Census, the population data has been recategorised by the Home Office to match the 2001 categories – the main result of this is the Chinese ethnic group is included under the Other broad ethnic group, not the Asian broad ethnic group.
Rounding
Stop and search rates are given to the nearest whole number. You can see more detailed estimates if you download the data.
Related publications
Police powers and procedures, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2018
Quality and methodology information
6. Data sources
Source
Police powers and procedures England and Wales statistics
Type of data
Administrative data
Type of statistic
National Statistics
Publisher
Home Office
Publication frequency
Yearly
Purpose of data source
Figures on stop and search reported to the Home Office are used to create greater transparency in the use of stop and search in England and Wales. They enhance accountability by enabling the public to monitor police forces at a national and local level.
The data is used to form a national picture of the trends in stop and search. It informs discussions about crime, policing and criminal justice in government and academia, and ensures the public are accurately informed.
7. Download the data
This file contains the following: ethnicity, year, police force area, numerator, denominator, population and rate per 1,000