STOP AND SEARCH POWERS

That this House notes the Ministry of Justice report showing that almost one million people were stopped and searched by the police in the last year; notes with concern that black people were seven times more likely and Asian people twice as likely to be stopped by the police than white people; further notes that although black people make up 2.8 per cent. of the population the report states that black people represent 11 per cent. of murder victims; regrets that this reinforces the view that black and ethnic minority people are under-policed as victims of crime but over-policed as citizens; believes that an extension of stop and search powers could undermine the ability of the police to build strong relationships with all communities and therefore cut off the valuable sources of community information and intelligence that the police need to fight crime; and therefore urges the Government to maintain monitoring and the essential safeguards designed to ensure that stop and search is led by intelligence and not by hunch.