Northumbria Police
About this focus area
StopWatch is working with local youth groups and charities in Wellingborough as part of an advocacy programme designed to empower young people to address their concerns on policing. Northumbria had the second highest number of searches, or the highest outside of London, in 2013/14 as outlined below.
About this force
| Area | 2,000 square miles |
|---|---|
| Recording stop and account? | No |
| Force website | Visit website |
About the PCC in this area
| Police & Crime Commissioner | Vera Baird (Labour) |
|---|---|
| Email address | enquiries@northumbria-pcc.gov.uk |
| PCC website | Visit website |
How many searches do police do?
April 2016 – March 2017
The police conducted 3,718 stop and searches under PACE Section 1 across the area covered by Northumbria Police.
This was a reduction of 48% 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 2015 – March 2016
The police conducted 7,096 stop and searches under PACE Section 1 across the area covered by Northumbria Police.
This was a reduction of 59% from the previous year.
There were 1 stop and searches under Section 60 Criminal Justice & Public Order Act, a power which doesn’t require individual reasonable suspicion.
Stop and account
Northumbria Police do not record stop and accounts.
What are searches targeted at?
| Target | Proportion of searches |
|---|---|
| Drugs | 47% |
| Stolen property | 24% |
| Offensive weapons | 13% |
| Going equipped | 10% |
| Other | 3% |
| Criminal damage | 2% |
| Firearms | 1% |
How effective are police stop and searches?
April 2016 – March 2017
11% of stop and searches conducted under PACE Section 1 lead to an arrest.
April 2015 – March 2016
21% of stop and searches conducted under PACE Section 1 lead to an arrest.
Who is getting searched?
Disproportionality is particularly high for black people in Northumbria following sharp increases in recent years, but it has also risen slightly for Asians and people from mixed ethnicities. In 2016/17, black people were searched at almost four times the rate of whites representing another year-on-year increase. Disproportionality for Asians also rose to one and a half times the rate of whites and up from marginally higher rates than whites in the previous financial year. Mixed people were searched at marginally higher rates than whites whereas they were previously underrepreseted in searches. Only those from Chinese and other backgrounds were searched at lower rates than whites.
PACE disproportionality ratios
| Ethnic groups | Ratio |
|---|---|
| White : Black | 1 : 3.9 |
| White : Asian | 1 : 1.5 |
| White : Mixed | 1 : 1.2 |
| White : Other | 1 : 0.2 |