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Stop-and-search powers: Public to have say | |
(about 9 hours later) | |
The public will be consulted on changing how police in England and Wales use stop-and-search powers, the home secretary is due to announce. | |
About 1.2 million stops took place in 2011-12 - but only 9% led to an arrest. | |
Theresa May is expected to say stop-and-search powers must be used more carefully to ensure people are not stopped because of their ethnicity. | |
Police must not waste time carrying out unnecessary stops and logging details afterwards, she is expected to add. | Police must not waste time carrying out unnecessary stops and logging details afterwards, she is expected to add. |
The home secretary's formal announcement is expected to be made in the Commons later on Tuesday. | |
'Pointless stops' | |
Mrs May is expected to stress the importance of stop and search and say that police will maintain the right to use it. | |
But there is widespread public concern about the way the power has been used, with disparities in search-to-arrest ratios across England and Wales, she is expected to say. | |
In some cases, the use of stop-and-search powers amounts to a waste of police time, she is to say. | |
It takes on average 16 minutes to conduct a stop and search and process the details. That amounts to 312,000 hours each year and the equivalent of 145 full-time police officers. | |
Mrs May wants to make the process more efficient and cut red tape to stop "pointless" stops and searches. | |
She also wants its use to be applied fairly to build confidence in the police. | |
Evidence-based approach | |
Last month, the government's equality watchdog said police were using stop-and-search powers less, without compromising crime reduction. | |
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) also found that four of the five forces it studied had reduced targeting of minority groups. | The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) also found that four of the five forces it studied had reduced targeting of minority groups. |
It said its report showed "clear evidence that where forces use an approach based on evidence rather than hunches or generalisations, they have not only seen reductions in crimes rates in line with overall trends, but have also increased public confidence in the police". | It said its report showed "clear evidence that where forces use an approach based on evidence rather than hunches or generalisations, they have not only seen reductions in crimes rates in line with overall trends, but have also increased public confidence in the police". |
The five forces covered by the report were Dorset Police, Leicestershire Constabulary, Thames Valley Police, West Midlands Police and the Metropolitan Police. | The five forces covered by the report were Dorset Police, Leicestershire Constabulary, Thames Valley Police, West Midlands Police and the Metropolitan Police. |
A previous report by EHRC, published in 2010, had suggested black people were six times more likely to be stopped and searched than white people. |