Suffolk police 5x more likely to stop and search black people
It's the first increase in years a report shows
Last updated 11th Aug 2025
Suffolk Police are five times more likely to stop and search black people as the ethnicity gap widens for the first time in years, a report has shown.
A report into the force’s use of police powers was released last month during a Police and Crime Commissioner’s (PCC) accountability and performance panel meeting.
It showed disproportionality stop and search levels for people of black ethnicity had increased between April 2024 and March this year, after steadily declining since 2021.
According to the report, black people were generally 4.9 times more likely to be stopped and searched by Suffolk Police, with the gap widening to 8.4 times more likely in searches for offensive weapons.
Meanwhile, stop and searches resulting in no further action for black people were 64 per cent, higher than that of white people, at 55 per cent.
Dept Chief Con Rob Jones told panel members the increase was worrying but stressed the force was one of the best in the UK for use of police powers and scrutiny.
He said: “We know that many black people, especially young men, feel over policed and underprotected by us – that disproportionality warrants really careful examination.”
The report said not all people subject to stop and search in Suffolk were residents in the county, which could influence disproportionality rates.
The data showed as many as 11.7 per cent of those stopped had an address outside of Suffolk, while 24.6 per cent did not have an address on record.
Filtering for age, data showed a widening gap with black under-18s generally 6.3 times more likely to be stopped, increasing to 9.2 times more likely in stops for offensive weapons.
Addressing some of the reasons behind the figures, Mr Jones said a large portion of stops related to postcode-based gang problems in parts of Ipswich, disproportionately impacting young black men.
He said: “The overwhelming reason why young men choose to carry weapons … is that they are carrying them for their protection.
“They don’t intend to use it in anger, but because they don’t feel safe, they’re carrying something so that they can protect themselves and their friends.”
He stressed the need for continued training efforts to ensure officers were able to appropriately deal with different situations, acknowledging unconscious bias could be playing a part in the figures.
Tim Passmore, Suffolk’s PCC, stressed the link between levels of deprivation and crime and said encouraging entrepreneurship and helping in setting up businesses were important in addressing some of the underlying factors.