Pubdate: Fri, 19 Dec 2003
Source: Bristol Evening Post (UK)
Copyright: 2003 Bristol Evening Post
Contact: 
http://www.nepmidlands.co.uk/thisis_general/redirects/bristolletts.html
Website: http://www.epost.co.uk
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2412
Author: Phil Sands

POLICE SEARCHES ON RISE

The use of controversial stop and search powers by police in Avon and 
Somerset is on the increase, new figures have revealed. But the increase in 
shake-downs by officers has not made a big impact on arrests and 
convictions - just one in seven stop and searches in the region leads to an 
arrest.

According to the Home Office, police used the measures on 18,690 separate 
occasions in 2002/2003. That compares with 15,520 in the previous year.

The 3,170 extra checks led to 202 more arrests.

That means a 20 per cent hike in the use of spot checks resulted in only an 
eight per cent rise in the number of arrests.

The figures also reveal local officers use street search powers far more 
than other comparable forces.

Essex police and Hertfordshire police had a combined total of 12,916 stops 
in 2003, thousands fewer than Avon and Somerset alone, even though the Home 
Office views the three areas as similar.

Stop and search powers have come under fire, with critics claiming they 
give officers a free hand to harass the public. There are also concerns 
that members of ethnic minorities are far more likely to be stopped than 
whites.

However, these latest figures do not provide details on who was stopped and 
Home Office minister Hazel Blears defended the police powers as "vital" in 
the fight against crime.

She said: "The appropriate use of stop and search by the police is an 
important tool in tackling crime.

"We need to focus on the quality of stop and searches rather than simply 
the numbers.

"The use of these powers increased last year by 21 per cent and this 
corresponds with an increase in arrests, indicating that there has been 
good reason for their increased use.

"Improved guidelines were issued to police officers earlier this year to 
ensure that stop and search powers are used in a targeted, intelligence-led 
way, focusing on serious crime and prolific offenders."

The majority of searches by Avon and Somerset police were of suspected thieves.

More than 6,000 stops were of drug suspects and 1,193 suspects were thought 
to be carrying an offensive weapon.
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