Staffordshire Police
About this force
| Area | 2,713 square miles |
|---|---|
| Recording stop and account? | No |
About the PCC in this area
| Police & Crime Commissioner | Matthew Ellis (Conservative) |
|---|---|
| Email address | pcc@staffordshire.pcc.pnn.gov.uk |
| PCC website | Visit website |
How many searches do police do?
April 2016 – March 2017
The police conducted 4,375 stop and searches under PACE Section 1 across the area covered by Staffordshire Police.
This was an increase of 4% 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.
April 2015 – March 2016
The police conducted 4,213 stop and searches under PACE Section 1 across the area covered by Staffordshire Police.
This was a reduction of 32% 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.
Stop and account
Staffordshire Police do not record stop and accounts.
What are searches targeted at?
| Target | Proportion of searches |
|---|---|
| Drugs | 61% |
| Stolen property | 15% |
| Going equipped | 10% |
| Offensive weapons | 9% |
| Other | 2% |
| Criminal damage | 1% |
| Firearms | 1% |
How effective are police stop and searches?
Most searches in Staffordshire are for drugs rather than serious or violent crime. In 2015/16 and 2016/17, 61% of all searches were for drugs. Also, stop and search has risen by 4% whilst it has fallen by 28% in neighbouring forces and by 22% nationally.
April 2016 – March 2017
16% of stop and searches conducted under PACE Section 1 lead to an arrest.
April 2015 – March 2016
14% of stop and searches conducted under PACE Section 1 lead to an arrest.
Who is getting searched?
Disproportionality has risen substantially in Staffordshire, including in 2016/17. In 2016/17, black people were searched at approximately 8 time the rate of white people (up from 6 times in the previous year) and people from Asian or mixed backgrounds were searched at over 3.5 times the rate of whites (up from 1.5 and 3 times the rate of whites, respectively, in the previous year). Only people from Chinese or other ethnic backgrounds have been searched at consistently lower rates than whites, although people from white backgrounds are searched at lower rates than their population size.
PACE disproportionality ratios
| Ethnic groups | Ratio |
|---|---|
| White : Black | 1 : 8.2 |
| White : Asian | 1 : 3.6 |
| White : Mixed | 1 : 3.8 |
| White : Other | 1 : 0.6 |