Race statistics suggest disproportionate number of police stop and searches and arrests but new research suggests a better balance

Statistics on race published today suggest a disproportionate number of police stop and searches and arrests among some minority ethnic communities in the county – but new research commissioned by Kent Police shows these are more balanced when compared with the population on the street.

The findings come from an academic study that has profiled the population by observing people and vehicles that police officers are likely to come into contact with.

The force commissioned the work to generate a clearer picture of the ethnicity of people in the county and assess police encounters with the public.

Currently, statistics on race are compared against the Office of National Statistics’ 2004 resident population figures - and not against the street population.

‘Kent is an incredibly vibrant county at the gateway to Europe and while 1.6 million people live here, more than 30 million people pass in and out of Kent each year.  On top of that, a number of our town centres attract visitors from far afield and of course Bluewater has a huge catchment area,’ says Deputy Chief Constable Jim Barker-McCardle.

‘We want to get a better feel for police contact with the diverse and constantly changing mix of people who live, work, or travel in the county.

‘We also want to ensure that we effectively identify and address any issues over disproportionate use of police powers. This research gives us another insight into officers’ contact with all sections of the community.’

The latest race statistics published by the Home Office today suggest that Black people are between five and six times more likely to be stopped and searched in Kent than White people, while Asian people are less likely to be searched than White people.

However the research conducted for Kent Police in the North Kent and Medway policing areas indicates that Black, Asian and people from other minority ethnic communities are no more likely or are less likely to be searched than White people.

The use of stop and search appears disproportionate when examined against the resident population. For example, less than 1% of Kent’s resident population is Black, but 4% of Kent Police searches are conducted on Black people. Two per cent of Kent’s resident population is Asian and 2% of searches are conducted on Asian people.

The Kent Police research, using more recent data and the observed street population, shows 5% are Black and Black people make up an equal rate of Kent searches – making the figure proportionate for this ethnic group. Asian people make up 7% of the street population but only 3% of searches.

The Home Office race statistics, which are for the year from April 2004 to March 2005, also show that Black people are between five and six times more likely than White people to be arrested, double the national average. Asian people are nearly twice as likely as White people to be arrested in Kent.

But the Kent Police study shows very little disproportion in the arrest rates for all minority ethnic communities.

‘Kent Police has introduced even more checks and balances to scrutinise the use of powers at force level and by individual officers,’ said Mr Barker-McCardle.

‘Use of stop and search powers, all other stops and a range of other enforcement activities are monitored and supervised very closely to check for any evidence of discrimination, including the use of those powers by individual officers.

‘I am keen to ensure that Kent Police’s focus should be on whether stop and search is being used effectively towards deterring and solving crime in the county and that this power is properly and justifiably applied,’ he added.

‘The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry reported that stop and search in particular had created divisions between the police and communities and set out recommendations for dealing with this.

‘In commissioning this research the intention was to inform the debate – the ethnicity of people on the streets of Kent and Medway at the times when much of our operational work is being carried out is simply not the same as for the resident population.

‘This is consistent with findings from similar studies in other parts of the country. There is, however, a limit as to what data and analysis can tell us – the real test is the extent to which people from minority ethnic communities have confidence in their local police based on their own experiences,’ said Mr. Barker-McCardle.

The race statistics also show that racially motivated incidents are up by a fifth on the previous figures (a 21% rise), while racially or religiously aggravated offences are up by more than a quarter (a 27% increase). This means more racially motivated crimes are being reported in Kent and is encouraging given the widespread view that racially motivated and other forms of hate crime are under-reported.

While the 2004/5 increases on 2003/04 for racially motivated incidents are nearly double the national average increase and about four times the national average increase for racially or religiously aggravated offences, when compared over two years the rise in Kent drops markedly and is much lower than the increases in England and Wales over the same period.

The Deputy Chief Constable is meeting the Minority Ethnic Consultative Forum and members of the newly formed Independent Advisory Group on 26 April to discuss the latest stop and search statistics and the findings of the academic research conducted for Kent Police.

Last year Kent Police was the only force in the country to be rated ‘excellent’ in its approach to race and diversity by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary.

The Commission for Racial Equality cites Kent Police’s Race Equality Scheme as an example of good practice in relation to training of staff, ensuring policies and practices promote good race relations and meeting duties as an employer.