Durham Constabulary
About this force
| Area | 861 square miles |
|---|---|
| Recording stop and account? | No |
| Force website | Visit website |
About the PCC in this area
| Police & Crime Commissioner | Ron Hogg (Labour) |
|---|---|
| Email address | enquiries@durham-pcc.gov.uk |
| PCC website | Visit website |
How many searches do police do?
April 2017 – March 2018
The police conducted 1,503 stop and searches under PACE Section 1 across the area covered by Durham Constabulary.
This was a reduction of 15% from the previous year.
There were 4 stop and searches under Section 60 Criminal Justice & Public Order Act, a power which doesn’t require individual reasonable suspicion.
April 2016 – March 2017
The police conducted 1,776 stop and searches under PACE Section 1 across the area covered by Durham Constabulary.
This was a reduction of 61% from the previous year.
There were 2 stop and searches under Section 60 Criminal Justice & Public Order Act, a power which doesn’t require individual reasonable suspicion.
Stop and account
Durham Constabulary do not record stop and accounts.
What are searches targeted at?
| Target | Proportion of searches |
|---|---|
| Drugs | 47% |
| Going equipped | 20% |
| Stolen property | 19% |
| Offensive weapons | 13% |
| Firearms | 1% |
| Other | 1% |
| Criminal damage | 0% |
How effective are police stop and searches?
In 2017/18, there were only four searches conducted under section 60, a power that does not require any suspicion to believe that a person is engaged in criminality or violence in order to search them.
April 2017 – March 2018
19% of stop and searches conducted under PACE Section 1 lead to an arrest.
0% of stop and searches conducted under Section 60 Criminal Justice & Public Order Act lead to an arrest.
April 2016 – March 2017
7% of stop and searches conducted under PACE Section 1 lead to an arrest.
8% of stop and searches conducted under Section 60 Criminal Justice & Public Order Act lead to an arrest.
Who is getting searched?
In the financial year 2017/18, people from black backgrounds were searched at just over one and a half times the rate of white people. Asians and people from mixed backgrounds were searched at approximately the same rate as whites. Only people from Chinese or other backgrounds are searched at a lower rate than whites. Despite this, disproportionality has risen slightly in comparison to the previous year, even with the overall reduction in the total volume of searches across Durham.
PACE disproportionality ratios
| Ethnic groups | Ratio |
|---|---|
| White : Black | 1 : 1.7 |
| White : Asian | 1 : 1.2 |
| White : Mixed | 1 : 1.0 |
| White : Other | 1 : 0.6 |