The Home Office welcomes any analysis of the effectiveness of police tactics.

The police tell us that stop and search is a vital tool which helps them tackle serious violence and protect communities. We remain clear that no one should be stopped based on protected characteristics, including race and age. Safeguards exist to ensure this, including Code A of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 which sets out the statutory requirements for conducting a search, the use of body worn video to increase accountability, and HMICFRS inspections where force level disparities are examined. The Home Office also publishes extensive data on police powers, including the use of stop and search, which allows Police and Crime Commissioners and others to hold forces to account. The latest publication is here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-powers-and-procedures-england-and-wales-year-ending-31-march-2020.

The causes of disparities in stop and search are complex. This Government has committed to tackling racial disparities and broader structural inequalities as part of the Prime Minister’s Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities.

All operational decisions on how stop and search is carried out in London are a matter for the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and City of London Police

Stop and search is an investigative tool that the police use to prevent and detect crime by allowing the police to search for offensive weapons and drugs. The police are required to take statistical records of stop and searches for accountability and transparency purposes.

Information may be shared between the Police and Immigration Enforcement under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. However, we remain clear that the Police do not use stop and search to identify potential immigration offenders.

The Home Office welcomes any analysis of the effectiveness of police tactics.

The police tell us that stop and search is a vital tool which helps them tackle serious violence and protect communities. We remain clear that no one should be stopped based on protected characteristics, including race and age. Safeguards exist to ensure this, including Code A of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 which sets out the statutory requirements for conducting a search, the use of body worn video to increase accountability, and HMICFRS inspections where force level disparities are examined. The Home Office also publishes extensive data on police powers, including the use of stop and search, which allows Police and Crime Commissioners and others to hold forces to account. The latest publication is here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-powers-and-procedures-england-and-wales-year-ending-31-march-2020.

The causes of disparities in stop and search are complex. This Government has committed to tackling racial disparities and broader structural inequalities as part of the Prime Minister’s Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities.

All operational decisions on how stop and search is carried out in London are a matter for the Metropolitan Police Service and City of London Police.

There are currently no plans to extend the Codes of Practice that support the Police & Criminal Evidence Act 1984 to include road traffic stops.

For motoring offences, there are currently no plans to require police forces to collect data for vehicle stops under section 163 of the Road Traffic Act 1988. For non-motoring offences, the Home Office already collates data on vehicle stops as part of the stop and search data collection, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-powers-and-procedures-england-and-wales-year-ending-31-march-2020

The statutory basis for data collection, the Annual Data Requirement (ADR) process, is set by the Police Act 1996. This process works closely with policy and operational colleagues, other government departments, National Policing Leads and other key police stakeholders to ensure that routine statistical data required on police forces remains proportionate and justified and eliminates unnecessary burdens. This ensures a proper balance between the accountability and efficiency of police operation and is reviewed on an annual basis.

There are currently no plans to extend the Codes of Practice that support the Police & Criminal Evidence Act 1984 to include road traffic stops.

For motoring offences, there are currently no plans to require police forces to collect data for vehicle stops under section 163 of the Road Traffic Act 1988. For non-motoring offences, the Home Office already collates data on vehicle stops as part of the stop and search data collection, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-powers-and-procedures-england-and-wales-year-ending-31-march-2020

The statutory basis for data collection, the Annual Data Requirement (ADR) process, is set by the Police Act 1996. This process works closely with policy and operational colleagues, other government departments, National Policing Leads and other key police stakeholders to ensure that routine statistical data required on police forces remains proportionate and justified and eliminates unnecessary burdens. This ensures a proper balance between the accountability and efficiency of police operation and is reviewed on an annual basis.

Since January 2019, HM Revenue & Customs have spent £1,440 in training officers in Northern Ireland in the use of vehicle stop and search powers.

A Police Officer is able to use their Strategic Mobile device only when they suspect a person of having committed an offence and their identity is not known or cannot be ascertained, whether or not related to immigration. All data used as part of the Strategic Mobile check, including the results, are deleted and not stored on the phone. It is an operational matter for the police officer whether to contact the Home Office for further immigration details if this might be required as part of their investigation. This information is not recorded as part of the mobile search.

The latest available figures show that there have been 8,940 matches against the Immigration and Asylum Biometric System (IABS), when a police officer has made a Strategic Mobile search. The period covering this figure is March 2018 to May 2020.

There is no data available to identify whether, when making a Strategic Mobile search, a police officer was alone or alongside the Home Office Immigration Enforcement Team

The Home Office already collates data on vehicle searches as part of the stop and search data collection.

In 2018/19, there were a total of 8,041 vehicle stops, with 7,949 stops under Section 1 of PACE and its associated legislation, and 92 stops under Section 60 of CJPOA. Data was published in 'Police powers and procedures, England and Wales year ending 31 March 2019', available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-powers-and-procedures-england-and-wales-year-ending-31-march-2019.

The Home Office collects ethnicity data on all stop and searches of an individual, under Section 1 of PACE and its associated legislation and Section 60 of CJPOA. Additionally, data is collected on the number of searches of unattended vehicles. It is not possible from the data currently collected to identify the ethnicity of those involved in vehicle searches. Overall ethnicity data on stop and search was published in 'Police powers and procedures, England and Wales year ending 31 March 2019', available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-powers-and-procedures-england-and-wales-year-ending-31-march-2019.

Figures for the year ending 31 March 2020 will be published on 27 October 2020.

There are currently no plans to require police forces to collect data for vehicle stops under section 163 of the Road Traffic Act 1988.

The Home Office already collates data on vehicle searches as part of the stop and search data collection.

In 2018/19, there were a total of 8,041 vehicle stops, with 7,949 stops under Section 1 of PACE and its associated legislation, and 92 stops under Section 60 of CJPOA. Data was published in 'Police powers and procedures, England and Wales year ending 31 March 2019', available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-powers-and-procedures-england-and-wales-year-ending-31-march-2019.

The Home Office collects ethnicity data on all stop and searches of an individual, under Section 1 of PACE and its associated legislation and Section 60 of CJPOA. Additionally, data is collected on the number of searches of unattended vehicles. It is not possible from the data currently collected to identify the ethnicity of those involved in vehicle searches. Overall ethnicity data on stop and search was published in 'Police powers and procedures, England and Wales year ending 31 March 2019', available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-powers-and-procedures-england-and-wales-year-ending-31-march-2019.

Figures for the year ending 31 March 2020 will be published on 27 October 2020.

There are currently no plans to require police forces to collect data for vehicle stops under section 163 of the Road Traffic Act 1988.

The Metropolitan Police Service has voluntarily referred this incident to the Independent Office for Police Conduct which has confirmed they are investigating it. As this investigation is ongoing, it is inappropriate to comment further.

The Government is clear no one should be stopped and searched based on race or ethnicity and there are safeguards to ensure that this does not happen. These include Code A of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 which sets out the statutory requirements for conducting a search, the use of body worn video to increase accountability, and HMICFRS inspections where force level disparities are examined.

Last year, the Home Office asked the College of Policing to update its guidance on stop and search to provide better practice to forces on community engagement and scrutiny.  The Home Office also publishes extensive data on police powers, including the use of stop and search, which allows Police and Crime Commissioners and others to hold forces to account. The latest publication is here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-powers-and-procedures-england-and-wales-year-ending-31-march-2019.