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The borough of Westminster has emerged as the most bias stop and search are of London, according to an investigation by the Equality and Human Rights Commission. Figures were released this week which showed that in the West End for every 1,000 people stopped: - 129 were white
- 750.4 were black
- 150 were Asians
The borough also had the top rate of searches, 187.6 per 1,000. The commission says it is putting police forces "on warning" over the figures. They had been looking at police forces across England and Wales to see how they are using their powers to stop people in the street if they have a good reason, and to question and search them. It says nationally, black people are six times more likely to be stopped than a white person and Asian people twice as likely. Bexley in South East London was the most balanced force in the capital, for every 1,000 black people only 83.6 were stopped but minorities were still more likely to be subject to a police search. Such wide ranging figures may be down to demographics. The Commission added: "There is little evidence to suggest that targeting black people disproportionately with stop and search powers reduces crime." See below to check where your borough came in the Equality Commision's study.
STOP AND SEARCH RATES FOR LONDON POLICE AREAS Stop and search rates, disproportionality ratios and excess stops and searches, new population estimates, London boroughs, 2008/09 (from table A16 in 'Stop and Think') Ordered by black disproportionality ratio, largest to smallest | Disproportionality ratio | Excess stops & searches | Stop & search rate per 1,000 | | Police Force Area | Black / white | Asian / white | Black | Asian | White | Black | Asian | Total | | Wandsworth | 9.1 | 2.2 | 6,164 | 922 | 36.7 | 332.8 | 80.9 | 65.0 | | Lambeth | 7.3 | 1.0 | 9,998 | 13 | 31.6 | 229.4 | 32.5 | 73.5 | | Tower Hamlets | 7.2 | 3.1 | 3,880 | 7,120 | 54.8 | 395.8 | 171.7 | 112.8 | | Hammersmith & Fulham | 6.9 | 1.8 | 4,214 | 342 | 44.1 | 305.2 | 77.8 | 75.4 | | Kensington & Chelsea | 6.9 | 1.2 | 3,945 | 162 | 57.8 | 400.4 | 70.1 | 88.5 | | Ealing | 5.9 | 2.3 | 4,065 | 2,750 | 32.4 | 192.7 | 74.3 | 57.3 | | Westminster | 5.8 | 1.2 | 9,762 | 563 | 129 | 750.4 | 150.0 | 187.6 | | Camden | 5.6 | 1.2 | 5,205 | 411 | 70.1 | 390.4 | 85.4 | 94.0 | | Merton | 5.2 | 1.3 | 1,392 | 128 | 20.9 | 107.9 | 26.5 | 29.0 | | Harrow | 4.8 | 1.3 | 1,231 | 373 | 21.7 | 104.2 | 27.8 | 30.4 | | Hounslow | 4.5 | 1.5 | 1,673 | 1,209 | 42.6 | 192.3 | 65.0 | 57.2 | | Bromley | 4.4 | 0.6 | 1,955 | -206 | 43.1 | 188.6 | 25.6 | 49.4 | | Croydon | 4.4 | 0.9 | 6,497 | -89 | 39.7 | 174.6 | 37.7 | 61.9 | | Islington | 4.2 | 1.3 | 5,388 | 358 | 91 | 383.8 | 119 | 124.2 | | Lewisham | 4 | 0.9 | 6,569 | -86 | 42.5 | 168.2 | 36.7 | 71.3 | | Waltham Forest | 4 | 2.5 | 3,080 | 1,434 | 31.6 | 127.8 | 80.2 | 55.7 | | Brent | 3.8 | 1 | 7,340 | 187 | 59.5 | 226.3 | 62.2 | 91.2 | | Hillingdon | 3.7 | 1.7 | 1,471 | 1,011 | 40.3 | 149.3 | 69 | 50.9 | | Redbridge | 3.7 | 2.4 | 1,735 | 2,511 | 28.3 | 105.2 | 68.9 | 47.4 | | Hackney | 3.5 | 1.4 | 7,556 | 577 | 75.3 | 261.4 | 107.1 | 119.5 | | Havering | 3.5 | 1.2 | 524 | 35 | 29.5 | 103.4 | 34 | 32 | | Southwark | 3.3 | 0.9 | 8,523 | -158 | 72.9 | 240.4 | 63.9 | 106.5 | | Greenwich | 3.2 | 0.7 | 2,969 | -215 | 52.3 | 167.3 | 39.1 | 67.1 | | Sutton | 3 | 0.5 | 579 | -216 | 37.8 | 114.1 | 19.7 | 39.4 | | Haringey | 2.8 | 0.7 | 5,046 | -424 | 76 | 210.5 | 51.5 | 98.4 | | Barking and Dagenham | 2.8 | 2.6 | 1,396 | 849 | 44 | 124.3 | 116 | 59.9 | | Enfield | 2.7 | 0.5 | 2,749 | -541 | 46.3 | 124.1 | 24.7 | 55 | | Newham | 1.8 | 1.5 | 2,045 | 2,235 | 59.4 | 106.6 | 90.9 | 78.3 | | Bexley | 1.6 | 0.9 | 369 | -40 | 51.9 | 83.6 | 47.4 | 53 |
NB data were not available for Barnet, Kingston upon Thames and Richmond upon Thames. Source: Equality and Human Rights Commission analysis of data from Metropolitan Police Stop and Search Monitoring reports October 2009; Office for National Statistics, 2009, Population estimates by ethnic group mid-2007 (experimental); Office for National Statistics, 2009, Mid-2008 population estimates.
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