A Liverpool MP has praised Merseyside Police on its progress in bringing down the divide between black and white stop and searches, but insists work still needs to be done.
Figures from Merseyside Police show b lack people were 1.5 times more likely to be stopped and searched by officers, compared to white people between 2020 and 2021. That’s despite black people being only slightly more likely to be arrested if they are stopped.
Of the people stopped in Merseyside last year, black people were 1.5 times more likely to be arrested compared to white people being 1.01 times. Other ethnic minorities in the area were less likely to be stopped than white people.
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A total of 45,141 people were stopped and searched between 2020 and 2021, with 7% of those leading to an arrest. Drug offences accounted for the vast majority of stop and search cases, with the Police and Criminal Evidence Act and suspected possession of offensive weapons or stole property being the next most common causes.
MP for Liverpool Riverside, Kim Johnson said she welcomed the figures, which show a 'very welcome downward trend' to action against black people, but she would like the figure to be zero.
Kim Johnson said: "The figures on stop and search released by Merseyside Police today show a significant and very welcome downward trend in the disproportionate action against black people. Last year, black people were almost three times more likely to be stopped and searched than their white peers and in a year this has virtually halved to 1.55 times.
"Of course, I would like this to be zero, but I have to give credit to Chief Constable Serena Kennedy and PCC Emily Spurrell - both in post for less than a year - who have quite obviously taken this issue seriously and worked to reduce discrimination. I look forward to working alongside the Chief Constable and the PCC to achieve an ongoing reduction in future years."
Merseyside Police have shown a small, yet consistent improvement over a three-year period, from 2.3 in 2019 and 20 and 2.8 in 2018 and 19.
Assistant Chief Constable Jon Roy said: "Stop and search is a crucial policing power which has allowed us to tackle and prevent serious and organised crime. It has helped us seize weapons and drugs, arrest those who are under the influence of alcohol or drugs and disrupt criminality in the heart of our communities.
"We acknowledge that it can only be a crucial policing power if it is used fairly and proportionately, and over the last few years we have introduced a number of measures to ensure this, including a policy for officers to activate body worn cameras during stop and searches to capture evidence. Merseyside Police has worked collaboratively with volunteers from across Merseyside to review, monitor and amend our stop and search practices.
"We have also introduced community scrutiny panels, in which volunteers in our communities review the footage and detail of stop and searches. Panel members give feedback and we update on any outcomes and changes to our practice that arise from those discussions.
"We consistently analyse all stop search figures - the most current of which show that black people are 1.5 times more likely than white people to be stopped and searched in Merseyside. We publish those statistics in an annual report on our website as part of our commitment to transparency.
"We are working incredibly hard to improve that figure, and we've shown those improvements with a small but consistent drop over a three-year period, from 2.3 in 2019/20 and 2.8 in 2018/19. The current figure equates to 725 searches of black people, 1.6% of a total of 44,464 stop searches of people across Merseyside.
"We continue to devote considerable effort into ensuring we use our powers proportionately and subject ourselves to public scrutiny, led by the independent advisory group, to get feedback to help shape our practice."
Out of the total number of people stopped and searched, 7,410 were teenagers and children aged between zero and 17. One in every 25 of the children stopped by Merseyside Police were arrested.
Speaking on the stop and search figures for young people under the age of 18, ACC Roy added: "We do not use this power lightly, and 84% of stop searches are of adults. But where we believe under 18s are involved in criminality, or being exploited by criminals, we have and will continue to stop them to ask appropriate questions and seize evidence that could prove vital, as well as alerting parents or social services of the conduct of those young people so that steps can be taken to address their behaviour.
"Stop searches can and have led to investigations that have unearthed the exploitation of young people by County Lines criminals. As well as taking enforcement action, we have safeguarded and protected vulnerable young people who have been drawn into criminality, and targeted those who have brought them into offending.
"We will continue to carry out stop searches in those areas the public have concerns about and where our own investigations indicate there are issues. This work protects our communities and those being exploited, and ultimately takes weapons and drugs off out streets and puts criminals behind bars."
