Disproportionality
Stop Search and Use of Force
Stop and search is a legal power, that allows officers to search a person and/or vehicle if they have reasonable grounds to suspect a person is carrying illegal drugs, weapons, stolen items, or something to commit a crime. Stop and search remains an import police power for protecting the pubic, tackling crime and keeping our streets safe. However, it must be used in a fair and effective way that supports public confidence and prioritises making our communities safer.
We do not underestimate the impact stop and search has on communities and individuals. We understand the if delivered incorrectly it can have a negative impact on the trust and confidence communities and individuals have in us. We also appreciate that for many years police forces across England and Wales have acted disproportionately when using stop and search powers, especially against people from minority ethnic communities.
Cambridgeshire Constabulary acknowledges that disproportionately exists in Cambridgeshire but we are committed to discussing disproportionality with the community, including through the Community Scrutiny Panel and via Community Conversations. We are also willing to hear from community members and groups about the impact negative police encounters has had on them.
Cambridgeshire Constabulary is equally committed internally to exploring possible causes/reasons for disproportionality and utilising an explain or reform approach, based on evaluated evidence. Therefore, we believe it is vital we are open and transparent in sharing data about disproportionality related to stop search and use of force. Such data is monitored and scrutinised monthly in the Strategic Meeting for Stop and Search and Use of Force.
Strategic Meeting – Disproportionality Recap
Below are recaps of the data and discussions around disproportionality, for stop and search and use of force, from the Strategic Meetings:
Note the monthly Strategic Meeting for Stop and Search and Use of Force, also monitors data, and scrutinises these police powers more widely. Recaps for these sections of the meeting can be found on the Internal Review and Scrutiny pages for Stop and Search and Use of Force respectively.