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- 1. Navigate toMain facts and figures section
- 2. Navigate toThings you need to know section
- 3. Navigate to By ethnicity section
- 4. Navigate to By ethnicity over time section
- 5. Navigate to By ethnicity and area section
- 6. Navigate to By ethnicity and legislation over time section
- 7. Navigate toData sources section
- 8. Navigate toDownload the data section
1. Main facts and figures
- between April 2018 and March 2019, there were 375,588 stop and searches in England and Wales (excluding vehicle searches)
- there were 7 stop and searches for every 1,000 people, down from 25 per 1,000 people between April 2009 and March 2010
- stop and search rates have fallen for every ethnic group, but at different rates
- between April 2018 and March 2019, there were 4 stop and searches for every 1,000 White people, compared with 38 for every 1,000 Black people
- almost half of all stop and searches took place in the Metropolitan Police force area in London
- there were 22 stop and searches for every 1,000 people in London, the highest rate out of all police force areas
- London had the highest stop and search rates for all ethnic groups apart from Black (Dorset) and White (Merseyside)
2. Things you need to know
What the data measures
The data shows:
- the number of stop and searches for different ethnic groups in England and Wales
- how many stop and searches there were for every 1,000 people in each ethnic group (the ‘rate’)
Stop and search rates are given to the nearest whole number.
Unrounded data was used to work out stop and search rates and differences between ethnic groups.
Not included in the data
The data does not include vehicle searches, as ethnicity information is not collected during the search.
The ethnic groups used in the data
The data uses ethnic groups from the 2001 Census. Population estimates come from the 2011 Census, but have been adjusted to follow the 2001 ethnic groups.
If someone doesn’t give their ethnicity, it is recorded as ‘unreported’. Stop and searches with unreported ethnicity are included in the rate for ‘All’ ethnic groups.
In the 10 years to March 2019, the percentage of stop and searches with unreported ethnicity went up from 5% to 15%.
Methodology
Read the detailed methodology document for this data.
Someone who is stopped and searched is usually asked for their ethnicity. The circumstances of a stop and search may affect the accuracy of this information.
This can be seen by the high rate of stop and searches for the ‘Other’ categories within most ethnic groups. For example, 40% of stop and searches of Black people in the year ending March 2019 were assigned to the 'Other Black' ethnic group. The percentage for the ‘Other Asian’ ethnic group is similarly high (37%).
Stop and searches are not spread evenly across England and Wales. For example, the Metropolitan Police made 79% of all searches of Black people in the year ending March 2019. National rates are influenced by the higher number of incidents involving certain ethnic groups in certain police force areas.
National rates are an average of all police force areas, and may not reflect the rates in any individual police force areas.
Population data from the 2011 Census is used to work out the rate per 1,000 people in each area. Read more about the problems using Census data.
In the data file
See Download the data for:
- the number of stop and searches by ethnicity and police force area
- stop and search rates rounded to 2 decimal places
- the number of stop and searches with unreported ethnicity
3. By ethnicity
| Ethnicity | Stop and search rate per 1,000 people | Number of stop and searches |
|---|---|---|
| All | 7 | 375,588 |
| Asian | 11 | 41,472 |
| Bangladeshi | 21 | 9,610 |
| Indian | 4 | 5,310 |
| Pakistani | 10 | 11,207 |
| Asian other | 18 | 15,345 |
| Black | 38 | 70,648 |
| Black African | 24 | 24,139 |
| Black Caribbean | 31 | 18,488 |
| Black other | 100 | 28,021 |
| Mixed | 11 | 13,014 |
| Mixed White/Asian | 4 | 1,267 |
| Mixed White/Black African | 9 | 1,523 |
| Mixed White/Black Caribbean | 12 | 4,931 |
| Mixed other | 18 | 5,293 |
| White | 4 | 187,761 |
| White British | 3 | 155,185 |
| White Irish | 5 | 2,820 |
| White other | 12 | 29,756 |
| Other including Chinese | 7 | 6,457 |
| Chinese | 1 | 538 |
| Any other | 11 | 5,919 |
| Unknown | N/A* | 56,236 |
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:
- there were 375,588 stop and searches in England and Wales between April 2018 and March 2019, at a rate of 7 per 1,000 people
- there were 4 stop and searches for every 1,000 White people, compared with 38 for every 1,000 Black people
- there were 11 stop and searches per 1,000 Asian people, and also 11 per 1,000 people with Mixed ethnicity
- the 3 Black ethnic groups had the highest rates of stop and search out of all 16 individual ethnic groups
- the Black Other group had the highest rate overall, at 100 stop and searches per 1,000 people – this group includes people who didn’t identify (or weren't recorded) as Black African or Black Caribbean
4. By ethnicity over time
| Ethnicity | 2009/10 | 2010/11 | 2011/12 | 2012/13 | 2013/14 | 2014/15 | 2015/16 | 2016/17 | 2017/18 | 2018/19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rate per 1,000 | Rate per 1,000 | Rate per 1,000 | Rate per 1,000 | 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 | 25 | 23 | 21 | 18 | 16 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 7 |
| Asian | 39 | 37 | 32 | 24 | 19 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 11 |
| Bangladeshi | 70 | 65 | 55 | 37 | 31 | 16 | 16 | 12 | 13 | 21 |
| Indian | 24 | 21 | 17 | 12 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Pakistani | 38 | 37 | 34 | 28 | 22 | 13 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 10 |
| Asian other | 48 | 49 | 44 | 33 | 28 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 18 |
| Black | 117 | 113 | 95 | 65 | 55 | 34 | 31 | 30 | 29 | 38 |
| Black African | 73 | 70 | 60 | 40 | 34 | 22 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 24 |
| Black Caribbean | 153 | 139 | 112 | 74 | 59 | 36 | 31 | 28 | 26 | 31 |
| Black other | 199 | 205 | 187 | 135 | 117 | 74 | 71 | 71 | 73 | 100 |
| Mixed | 35 | 31 | 29 | 23 | 20 | 13 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 11 |
| Mixed White/Asian | 12 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Mixed White/Black African | 28 | 24 | 21 | 17 | 15 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 9 |
| Mixed White/Black Caribbean | 49 | 44 | 38 | 32 | 27 | 17 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 12 |
| Mixed other | 44 | 39 | 42 | 34 | 28 | 18 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 18 |
| White | 19 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 13 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| White British | 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| White Irish | 19 | 18 | 18 | 15 | 14 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 5 |
| White other | 41 | 36 | 35 | 31 | 27 | 17 | 13 | 10 | 9 | 12 |
| Other including Chinese | 21 | 19 | 16 | 13 | 12 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 7 |
| Chinese | 13 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Any other | 27 | 27 | 24 | 18 | 17 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 11 |
| Unknown | N/A* | 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, between 2017/18 and 2018/19:
- the national rate increased for the first time since 2009/10, from 5 to 7 stop and searches per 1,000 people
- stop and search rates increased in every ethnic group except White British and Chinese (where they stayed the same)
Between 2009/10 and 2018/19:
- the national stop and search rate went down from 25 to 7 per 1,000 people
- the stop and search rate for White people was lower than the national rate every year
-
the rates for the Asian, Black, and Mixed ethnic groups were higher than the national rate every year
-
the Chinese, White British, and Mixed White and Asian ethnic groups consistently had the lowest stop and search rates out of all 16 ethnic groups
- the Black African, Black Caribbean and Other Black groups consistently had the highest rates
5. 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 | 7 | 11 | 38 | 11 | 4 | 7 |
| Avon & Somerset | 4 | 4 | 18 | 6 | 2 | 2 |
| Bedfordshire | 4 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 2 |
| British Transport Police | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* |
| Cambridgeshire | 2 | 3 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| Cheshire | 2 | 2 | 17 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Cleveland | 1 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Cumbria | 3 | 6 | 24 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Derbyshire | 2 | 4 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Devon & Cornwall | 3 | 2 | 19 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Dorset | 3 | 4 | 62 | 4 | 2 | 3 |
| Durham | 3 | 3 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 2 |
| Dyfed-Powys | 5 | 9 | 40 | 8 | 5 | 1 |
| Essex | 5 | 7 | 23 | 7 | 4 | 3 |
| Gloucestershire | 1 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Greater Manchester | 2 | 2 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Gwent | 4 | 14 | 25 | 12 | 3 | 4 |
| Hampshire | 4 | 4 | 38 | 7 | 3 | 2 |
| Hertfordshire | 6 | 6 | 20 | 13 | 4 | 6 |
| Humberside | 2 | 2 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Kent | 4 | 5 | 30 | 5 | 3 | 4 |
| Lancashire | 3 | 4 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Leicestershire | 3 | 2 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| Lincolnshire | 4 | 6 | 26 | 11 | 3 | 4 |
| London, City of | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* | N/A* |
| Merseyside | 15 | 10 | 43 | 13 | 13 | 7 |
| Metropolitan Police | 22 | 19 | 51 | 17 | 11 | 13 |
| Norfolk | 4 | 4 | 30 | 12 | 3 | 3 |
| North Wales | 3 | 3 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| North Yorkshire | 2 | 7 | 11 | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| Northamptonshire | 3 | 5 | 20 | 7 | 2 | 3 |
| Northumbria | 2 | 4 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Nottinghamshire | 3 | 4 | 11 | 5 | 2 | 2 |
| South Wales | 8 | 11 | 42 | 14 | 7 | 4 |
| South Yorkshire | 4 | 7 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 1 |
| Staffordshire | 4 | 9 | 22 | 8 | 3 | 3 |
| Suffolk | 3 | 4 | 18 | 8 | 2 | 9 |
| Surrey | 5 | 9 | 33 | 9 | 4 | 3 |
| Sussex | 4 | 7 | 43 | 6 | 3 | 5 |
| Thames Valley | 4 | 5 | 11 | 7 | 2 | 2 |
| Warwickshire | 3 | 6 | 26 | 10 | 3 | 1 |
| West Mercia | 3 | 11 | 38 | 7 | 3 | 2 |
| West Midlands | 6 | 10 | 18 | 15 | 4 | 1 |
| West Yorkshire | 4 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| Wiltshire | 2 | 3 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
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, between April 2018 and March 2019:
- the Metropolitan Police in London made almost half (48%) of all stops and searches in England and Wales
- there were 22 stop and searches for every 1,000 people in London, compared with 4 per 1,000 people in the rest of England and Wales
- there were 51 stop and searches for every 1,000 Black people in London, compared with 19 per 1,000 Black people in the rest of England and Wales
- London had the highest rates of stop and search for all ethnic groups apart from Black (Dorset) and White (Merseyside)
- police in Dorset were 25 times more likely to stop Black people than White people (the biggest difference between ethnic groups)
- police were 14 times more likely to stop Black people than White people in Sussex and West Mercia
- Black people had the highest stop and search rates in every police force area for which there was data
- the rate for Asian people was 5 times higher than the rate for White people in Gwent
- the rate for people with Mixed ethnicity was 5 times the rate for White people in Gloucestershire
- Gloucestershire, Cleveland and Greater Manchester had the lowest overall rates
6. By ethnicity and legislation over time
| All | Asian | Black | Mixed | White | Other | Unknown | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | All Section 1 | All Section 44/47A | All Section 60 | Asian Section 1 | Asian Section 44/47A | Asian Section 60 | Black Section 1 | Black Section 44/47A | Black Section 60 | Mixed Section 1 | Mixed Section 44/47A | Mixed Section 60 | White Section 1 | White Section 44/47A | White Section 60 | Other Section 1 | Other Section 44/47A | Other Section 60 | Unknown Section 1 | Unknown Section 44/47A | Unknown Section 60 |
| 2009/10 | 1,169,012 | 102,428 | 119,639 | 111,192 | 17,295 | 19,137 | 169,573 | 10,164 | 39,364 | 35,114 | 2,307 | 5,228 | 785,691 | 60,608 | 47,879 | 14,268 | 4,435 | 1,426 | 53,174 | 7,619 | 6,605 |
| 2010/11 | 1,220,248 | 9,722 | 62,344 | 125,828 | 1,787 | 12,420 | 185,806 | 964 | 23,283 | 34,542 | 225 | 2,772 | 806,568 | 5,550 | 19,571 | 16,898 | 473 | 1,032 | 50,606 | 723 | 3,266 |
| 2011/12 | 1,136,117 | 0 | 46,882 | 115,842 | 0 | 7,831 | 161,058 | 0 | 16,791 | 32,831 | 0 | 2,245 | 763,246 | 0 | 16,238 | 14,830 | 0 | 763 | 48,310 | 0 | 3,014 |
| 2012/13 | 1,004,757 | 0 | 5,340 | 91,709 | 0 | 539 | 119,998 | 0 | 1,921 | 28,463 | 0 | 227 | 706,081 | 0 | 2,187 | 12,245 | 0 | 79 | 46,261 | 0 | 387 |
| 2013/14 | 893,267 | 0 | 3,896 | 73,243 | 0 | 361 | 100,907 | 0 | 1,126 | 24,355 | 0 | 186 | 638,832 | 0 | 1,846 | 11,558 | 0 | 51 | 44,372 | 0 | 326 |
| 2014/15 | 534,614 | 0 | 1,055 | 42,214 | 0 | 82 | 63,532 | 0 | 172 | 15,313 | 0 | 39 | 375,059 | 0 | 661 | 7,361 | 0 | 13 | 31,135 | 0 | 88 |
| 2015/16 | 380,940 | 0 | 965 | 35,513 | 0 | 88 | 58,217 | 0 | 209 | 12,374 | 0 | 16 | 225,900 | 0 | 547 | 5,465 | 0 | 11 | 29,473 | 0 | 94 |
| 2016/17 | 298,600 | 0 | 628 | 29,010 | 0 | 25 | 54,881 | 0 | 169 | 10,484 | 0 | 16 | 169,167 | 0 | 309 | 4,379 | 0 | 7 | 30,679 | 0 | 102 |
| 2017/18 | 274,754 | 130 | 2,494 | 28,504 | 16 | 272 | 53,427 | 7 | 955 | 10,338 | 4 | 127 | 146,660 | 45 | 619 | 4,624 | 1 | 36 | 31,201 | 57 | 485 |
| 2018/19 | 362,505 | 0 | 13,083 | 39,645 | 0 | 1,827 | 65,790 | 0 | 4,858 | 12,372 | 0 | 642 | 185,092 | 0 | 2,669 | 6,243 | 0 | 214 | 53,363 | 0 | 2,873 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity and legislation over time’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity and legislation over time’ (CSV)
Summary of Stop and search By ethnicity and legislation over time Summary
This data covers stop and search of individuals under the following acts:
- section 1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (and associated legislation including section 23 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971) – the police can stop and search someone they think is carrying items like stolen property or drugs
- section 44/47a of the Terrorism Act 2000 – the police can stop and search someone if they suspect an act of terrorism is about to take place (after authorisation by a senior officer)
- section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 – the police can stop and search someone within an authorised area to prevent violence involving weapons
This data shows that, between April 2018 and March 2019:
- 97% of all stop and searches in England and Wales were under section 1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act
- 3% of stop and searches were under section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act, up from 0.2% in the financial year ending March 2018
- no stop and searches were conducted under section 47A of the Terrorism Act
- there were 13,083 stop and searches under section 60, up from 628 in 2016/17 and 2,496 in 2017/18
- 4,858 section 60 stop and searches involved Black people, the highest number out of all ethnic groups for this legislation
- 1,827 section 60 stop and searches involved Asian people, compared with 272 the previous year (the biggest increase out of all ethnic groups)
7. Data sources
Source
Police powers and procedures, England and Wales year ending March 2019
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 incidents resulting in arrest 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, and resulting arrests. It informs discussions about crime, policing and criminal justice in government and academia, and ensures the public are accurately informed.
8. Download the data
This file contains the following: measure, ethnicity, year, geography, legislation type, population estimates, number, rate per 1,000, percentage