Stop and Search (43A/21)
Request
In the year 2019/20 – year ending 31st March 2020 in your police force area:
- What was the total number of stop and searches for all reasons, where a more thorough search occurred (PACE code A 3.6)? Please provide data sorted by (self-defined) ethnic group, gender, age and outcome of search.
- What was the total number of stop and searches for all reasons, where a search involved exposure of intimate parts of the body (strip searches) (PACE Code A 3.7)? Please provide data sorted by (self-defined) ethnic group, gender, age and outcome of search.
- What was the total number of stop and searches for drugs (section 1 Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and section 23(2) Misuse of Drugs Act 1971), where a more thorough search occurred (PACE code A 3.6)? Please provide data sorted by (self-defined) ethnic group, gender, age and outcome of search.
- What was the total number of stop and searches for drugs (section 1 Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and section 23(2) Misuse of Drugs Act 1971), where a search involved exposure of intimate parts of the body (PACE Code A 3.7)? Please provide data sorted by (self-defined) ethnic group, gender, age and outcome of search.
In addition, I would like to request that the grounds for the identified searches are also provided. In the case of intimate searches (strip searches), please provide the extended grounds and/or notes of incident, separately if possible. The provision of this information is secondary to questions 1 to 4 and should not impede the provision of the data requested above.
Response
Please find attached (43A_21_attachment.xls).
Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from a number of data sources used by forces for police purposes. The detail collected to respond specifically to your request is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when interpreting those data.
The figures provided therefore are our best interpretation of relevance of data to your request, but you should be aware that the collation of figures for ad hoc requests may have limitations and this should be taken into account when those data are used.
If you decide to write an article / use the enclosed data we would ask you to take into consideration the factors highlighted in this document so as to not mislead members of the public or official bodies, or misrepresent the relevance of the whole or any part of this disclosed material.