Hertfordshire Constabulary
About this force
| Chief constable | Charlie Hall |
|---|---|
| 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 2015 – March 2016
The police conducted 8,189 stop and searches under PACE Section 1 across the area covered by Hertfordshire Constabulary.
This was a reduction of 28% 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.
April 2014 – March 2015
The police conducted 11,391 stop and searches under PACE Section 1 across the area covered by Hertfordshire Constabulary.
This was a reduction of 55% from the previous year.
There were 9 stop and searches under Section 60 Criminal Justice & Public Order Act, a power which doesn’t require individual reasonable suspicion.
This was a reduction of 78% from the previous year.
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 | 19% |
| Stolen property | 14% |
| Offensive weapons | 3% |
| Other | 3% |
| Criminal damage | 1% |
| Firearms | 0% |
How effective are police stop and searches?
A staggering 60% of all searches conducted in 2015/16 Hertfordshire are for drugs rather than serious or violent crime- one of the highest in the country. These searches also tend to target low-level cannabis possession rather than drugs suppliers. In 2014/15, Hertfordshire held the highest figure for drugs searches at 66%.
April 2015 – March 2016
14% of stop and searches conducted under PACE Section 1 lead to an arrest.
April 2014 – March 2015
13% of stop and searches conducted under PACE Section 1 lead to an arrest.
Who is getting searched?
Racial disproportionality of searches increased marginally the 2015/16 financial year. Black people were searched at approximately 4 times the rate of whites across Hertfordshire, people from mixed backgrounds were searched at two and a half times the rate of whites, and Asian were searched at over one and a half times the rate of whites. People from Chinese and 'other' ethnic backgrounds were searched at a marginally higher rate than white people. Only white people in Hertfordshire were under-represented in searches.
No searches were conducted under section 60, a power that does not require officers to have any suspicion that a person is carrying weapons in order to search them.
PACE disproportionality ratios
| Ethnic groups | Ratio |
|---|---|
| White : Black | 1 : 3.6 |
| White : Asian | 1 : 1.7 |
| White : Mixed | 1 : 2.5 |
| White : Other | 1 : 1.3 |