Hertfordshire Constabulary
About this force
| Area | 632 square miles |
|---|---|
| Recording stop and account? | No |
| Force website | Visit website |
About the PCC in this area
| Police & Crime Commissioner | David Lloyd (Conservative) |
|---|---|
| Email address | commissioner@herts.pnn.police.uk |
| PCC website | Visit website |
How many searches do police do?
April 2018 – March 2019
The police conducted 7,098 stop and searches under PACE Section 1 across the area covered by Hertfordshire Constabulary.
This was an increase of 4% from the previous year.
There were 33 stop and searches under Section 60 Criminal Justice & Public Order Act, a power which doesn’t require individual reasonable suspicion.
April 2017 – March 2018
The police conducted 6,813 stop and searches under PACE Section 1 across the area covered by Hertfordshire Constabulary.
This was a reduction of 9% from the previous year.
There were 24 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 7,450 stop and searches under PACE Section 1 across the area covered by Hertfordshire Constabulary.
This was a reduction of 9% from the previous year.
There were 0 stop and searches under Section 60 Criminal Justice & Public Order Act, a power which doesn’t require individual reasonable suspicion.
Stop and account
Hertfordshire Constabulary do not record stop and accounts.
The Hertfordshire Constabulary no longer record stop and account. The last available data showed that black people were stopped at a rate of 2.5 of white people across Hertfordshire (2008-09).
What are searches targeted at?
| Target | Proportion of searches |
|---|---|
| Drugs | 60% |
| Going equipped | 17% |
| Offensive weapons | 12% |
| Stolen property | 9% |
| Other | 1% |
| Criminal damage | 1% |
| Firearms | <1% |
How effective are police stop and searches?
The majority of searches (60%) carried out by Hertfordshire's officers in 2018/19 were for drugs rather than serious or violent crime. These searches also tend to target low-level cannabis possession rather than drugs suppliers.
April 2018 – March 2019
21% of stop and searches conducted under PACE Section 1 lead to an arrest.
3% of stop and searches conducted under Section 60 Criminal Justice & Public Order Act lead to an arrest.
April 2017 – March 2018
19% 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.
April 2016 – March 2017
16% of stop and searches conducted under PACE Section 1 lead to an arrest.
Who is getting searched?
In 2018/19, black people were searched at just under five times the rate of whites across Hertfordshire. People from mixed backgrounds were searched at almost six times the rate of whites and Asians were searched at 1.3 times the rate of whites. People from Chinese and 'other' ethnic backgrounds were searched at approximately the same rate as whites.
There were 33 searches were conducted under section 60 in 2018/19, a power that does not require officers to have any suspicion that a person is carrying weapons in order to search them for those items. Only one resulted in arrest.
PACE disproportionality ratios
| Ethnic groups | Ratio |
|---|---|
| White : Black | 1 : 4.8 |
| White : Asian | 1 : 1.3 |
| White : Mixed | 1 : 5.6 |
| White : Other | 1 : 0.9 |