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Report shows Met targets young black man
YOUNG black men are increasingly being targeted by Westminster police using controversial stop and search powers.
Figures released this week by the Metropolitan Police Service show Westminster’s black community are six times more likely to be stopped and searched than the white or Asian community – despite being only marginally more likely to be arrested.
The power was used on black residents 2,706 times in October – 700 more than March.
Under the law, police can stop and search anyone thought to have weapons, drugs or be involved in terrorist activities.
Karen Buck MP, who last year helped compile a 124-page government report for the Young Black People Council of Justice, said: “It is absolutely true that we still have an issue of over-representation of black people being stopped without justification.
“It is a genuine worry.”
The Labour MP for Kensington North and Regent’s Park said: “There is no question that the stop and search powers are necessary tools for police in fighting crime. But if you get it wrong, you penalise innocent people and alienate the community.”
Westminster’s crime statistics were often skewed because of the huge influx of people into the West End at the weekends, she said.
Commenting on a review of police powers, John Roberts, Metropolitan Police Authority lead member for stop and search scrutiny, said: “Police stops are one of the most contentious policing issues for London’s black, Asian and ethnic minority communities.
“Stop and search and stop and account powers are vital tools in the fight against crime and terrorism, as long as they are used with respect and sensitivity.” |
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