STOP AND SEARCH

That this House believes that police stop and search powers unfairly target the black and Asian communities; notes that the Equality and Human Rights Commission found that black people were six times more likely than white people to be stopped, with Asian or other ethnic minority groups two times more likely; points out that the Home Secretary set a deadline of 12 December 2013 to reduce significantly one of the stop and search powers related to the possibility of violence; deeply regrets that this did not happen; and believes that regressive attitudes in Downing Street are to blame and that Ministers who are members of the Conservative Party are afraid of appearing soft on crime with May elections imminent.