Concerns raised over stop and search in West Midlands
New figures show racial disproportionality has increased, prompting questions over what is being done to address it
Concerns have been raised over latest figures which show black people in the West Midlands are still more likely to be stopped and searched by police.
Members of the West Midlands Police and Crime Panel discussed disproportionality at a meeting this week and quizzed bosses on what was being done to understand the issues.
In the annual report by West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster, data showed black people were 3.5 times more likely to be subject to stop and search that white people while they were 2.3 times more likely to experience use of force.
This is an increase from 3.1 times for stop and search and 2.1 times for use of force when compared with rates from 2024.
Mixed race people were also 3.5 times more likely to be stopped and searched than white people and 1.5 times the subject of use of force compared with 3.3 and 1.7 in 2024.
And Asian people were 1.9 times more likely to be stopped and searched by police than white people and 0.9 times likely to be subject to stop and search. These are a slight increase from 2024 when the data was 1.8 and 0.7 respectively.
Panel member Councillor Hamzah Sheikh said: “Unfortunately, they have all increased from their baselines and so I would like to ask what analysis has been undertaken to understand this?
“What strategy is in place to reverse it? I’m sure the commissioner can appreciate this is an issue that has impacted my father’s generation, my generation and evidently the next generation of young people.”
Mr Foster said: “It is essential that the use of stop and search is always conducted in a lawful, proportionate and necessary and accountable way.
“Of course, it’s an essential tool for policing to prevent and tackle crime but it has to be used in a way that promotes trust and confidence within wider communities as well.
“We have a network of community led oversight and scrutiny panels across the West Midlands, there are 10.
“They are an opportunity for members of the community to meet with West Midlands Police to view body worn video camera evidence and provide feedback to local policing teams about the way that stop and search is conducted and indeed use of force.
“That’s extremely important because there’s an opportunity to provide feedback and learning from the way in which stop and search is utilised by West Midlands police.
“There is also a Stop and Search Commission that takes place bi-annually which is an opportunity for all of the chairs of those various community panels to meet up and ensure best practice and share learning.
“In addition to that, we launched this year stop and search community accountability panels for young people so they can have a voice in terms of their experience.”
Alethea Fuller, deputy chief executive, added the force was doing a number of things to understand the data.
This includes giving cards with QR codes on them to enable people who are stopped and searched to give immediate feedback and senior officers reviewing body worn video footage of young black men aged between 17 and 24 to ensure the powers were used in the right way.