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'Get stop and search right,' says home secretary | |
(about 1 hour later) | |
The public will be consulted on changing how police in England and Wales use stop-and-search powers, the home secretary has announced. | |
About a million stops take place each year - but only 9% lead to an arrest, Theresa May told MPs. | |
She said it was time to "get stop and search right", as she launched a six-week public consultation. | |
Police must not waste time carrying out unnecessary stops and logging details, Mrs May added. | |
'Pointless stops' | 'Pointless stops' |
Mrs May stressed the importance of stop and search and said that police would 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 said. She said some of the percentages were "far too low for comfort". | |
In some cases, the use of stop-and-search powers amounted to a waste of police time, she said. | |
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, she said. | |
Mrs May said she wanted to make the process more efficient and cut bureaucracy to stop "pointless" stops and searches. | |
She said she wanted the measure to be applied fairly to build community confidence in the police. | |
"I want to make sure that stop and search is used fairly and in everybody's interest. I want to see stop and search used only when it's needed. I want to see higher search-to-arrest ratios. I want to see better community engagement and I want to see more efficient recording practices across the country," she told the Commons. | |
"At its best, stop and search is a vital power in the fight against crime. At its worst, it's a waste of police time and serves time and serves to undermine public confidence in the police. | |
"It's time to get stop and search right." | |
'Evidence-based approach' | |
Police have yet to respond to the announcement, but BBC home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw said they would be concerned about any measure that could see a "radical downscaling" of their powers to stop and search. | |
Last month, the government's equality watchdog said police use of stop-and-search powers had fallen, 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. | 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. |