Met Police increased use of stop and search by a fifth over last year
The controversial practice lead to more than 3,800 weapons being taken off the capital's streets last year
The Metropolitan Police carried out almost 20% more stop and searches over the last year and achieved the highest find rate in the force’s history in July.
More than a third of searches carried out in July resulted in officers finding weapons, drugs, or other evidence of offending, new figures released on Monday show.
In 2025, stop and search helped officers seize at least 3,800 weapons and discover illegal drugs on more than 27,800 occasions.
Historically, higher rates of stop and search have been linked to lower detection rates, but the 20% increase in use of the tactic over the last year culminated in 36% of searches in July 2026 uncovering evidence of criminal activity.
A statement from the Met claimed this was as a result of “officers making more precise and considered stops”.
Research released earlier this year suggested black people are up to 48 times more likely than white people to be stopped and searched by police in wealthier parts of London.
Analysis of every stop carried out by Met officers in 2023, covering 152,000 records, also showed the grounds given for search were more vague for black people.
Researchers from Kings College London found the three London ward areas with the highest disproportionality were East Sheen in Richmond, where black people were 48 times more likely to be searched than white, Dulwich Village, where the rate was 40 times, and Hampstead Town, where the figure was 38 times.
In February, black Londoners were 3.4 times more likely than white Londoners overall to be stopped and searched by police. The national rate is four times.
That led to a national public consultation on updated police stop-and-search standards being launched by the College of Policing.
The consultation, which finished in July, invited views from police officers and staff, partner agencies, community organisations and members of the public.
Assistant commissioner Ade Adelekan, the Met’s stop and search lead, said: “Stop and search remains a vital tool in helping officers remove weapons from our streets, apprehend dangerous offenders and ultimately save lives.
“But it is also a tactic that must be used fairly, professionally and with the confidence of the communities we serve.
“We know that concerns around disproportionality remain, particularly among Black Londoners, and we are committed to understanding and addressing those concerns through greater scrutiny, transparency and accountability.
“The results we are seeing show that by focusing on quality rather than simply quantity, we can both improve outcomes and raise standards.”