Increase in ‘stop and search’ put in spotlight by police and crime commissioner
Despite the increase in the number of ‘stop searches’, the ‘positive outcome rate’ was recorded as 40%, which is 1.1% higher than the year before.
Police officers in Hertfordshire have increased their use of stop and search – with almost one in five leading to an arrest.
Typically, police can use stop and search when they have reasonable grounds to believe a person is carrying illegal drugs, weapons, stolen property or items used to commit a crime.
Latest data shows that in 2025/26 Hertfordshire Constabulary conducted 7.735 ‘stop searches’ – which is 15% more than the 6,540 conducted the previous year.
The number of arrests following a ‘stop and search’ in 2025/26 was recorded as 19.4% by the constabulary, which is 1.9% lower than the year before.
A positive outcome rate includes stops that result in the discovery of an item – such as drugs or a stolen item – and can include an arrest, community resolution or warning.
And at the Hertfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner’s latest accountability and performance meeting, Temporary Chief Constable Andy Mariner was quizzed about the use of stop and search.
He told Police and Crime Commissioner Jonathan Ash-Edwards that stop and search was a use of force that they took “really seriously”.
And he said that the ‘positive outcome rate’ put the Hertfordshire Constabulary “in the top percentage of forces nationally”.
He suggested to the commissioner that the 40% rate was “really, really unusual” and that it “says something about the way that we do intelligence-led searches”.
Nationally, he suggested that where there had been an increase in stop and searches, there could sometimes have been a reduction in the “find rate”.
But as well as having increased the number of stop and searches in Hertfordshire, he said they were “finding more things”.
“What we are finding in Hertfordshire … is that we are searching more people, but we are finding more things,” he said.
“And that comes down to really good daily briefing, officers knowing their local environment.”
During the webcast meeting, the temporary chief constable also addressed the disproportionate use of stop and search with regard to age and ethnicity.
Last year, it was said that 45% of stop searches in Hertfordshire were reported to involve young people under the age of 24.
And across the county, black people were reported to be four times more likely to be stopped and searched than white people.
In response to a question about actions taken to ensure searches of young people are necessary and proportionate and that there was appropriate safeguarding, the temporary police chief highlighted the use of body-worn videos, which he said were scrutinised.
Addressing disproportionality between the two ethnic groups, he said it was “not where we want to be” and that it was a “huge focus” in the constabulary.
He also revealed that there was variation across areas of the county – with black people in East Herts said to be 10.8 times more likely to be stopped than white people.
“That’s not where we want to be,” said the temporary chief constable.
“There’s quite a bit of work that’s going on, in terms of trying to understand that. I am not going to make excuses for that.”
As a result, he said the constabulary was now looking at every search involving black people in the East Herts area, including viewing body-worn camera footage
He said a review undertaken on “a particular time frame” had found that searches had been lawful, justified and proportionate, with some good examples of good practice being identified. And he said the positive outcome rate had remained at 40%.
But he indicated that further work was ongoing, including work alongside partners, including Hertfordshire University, “to try and get under the surface of it”.
The discussion between the temporary chief constable and the police and crime commissioner lasted for 47 minutes and was broadcast live.
The other topics covered included strip searches of under-18s, use of force and the independent custody visitors report.
The webcast sessions are designed to help the police and crime commissioner to fulfil his statutory duty to hold the chief constable to account for the performance and work of Hertfordshire Constabulary.
The next of the Hertfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner’s accountability and performance meetings is scheduled to be held on August 25.