Stop and Search

The force has a commitment to becoming more open and transparent. Part of this is being better at sharing and engaging on some of the powers that our police officers use to keep people safe, and that includes Stop and Search.

We believe that greater scrutiny will further ensure that our use of these is right and proper.

What are we searching for?

During this quarter, we saw section 60 powers authorised for 48 hours in part of the district in response to intelligence regarding drug-related violence. This power allows officers to stop and search anyone, without the requirement for reasonable grounds for suspicion in relation to incidents involving serious violence. This saw 27 people searched, and no serious violence reported to us in that period.

Stop and search is a key tactic for us and is used to tackle some recent crime trends we have seen, such as burglary and drug related violence.

Of the searches conducted, 133 of those were for drugs, while 33 related to stolen property and 28 were on the grounds there was suspicion the person may have gone equipped to commit other offences.

Is our use of Stop and Search in Basingstoke proportionate?

The latest data shows a black person is 3.3 times more likely to be stopped in Basingstoke, while a person of mixed race is 2.3 times more likely.

Of the searches carried out, 13 were of a black person in the district, with one of these coming during the previously mentioned section 60 period and the other 12 being in response to incidents.

Understanding people's views and experiences of Stop and Search is incredibly important to us, and we know there are concerns about how fairly it is used, as well as those who support its use.

We need views from others so we are doing far more engagement than we did previously. Scrutiny involving our Independent Advisory Groups (made up of members of the public) is therefore part of our approach, and we would encourage people all of our communities to get involved in these groups. ​We also want to hear more views on Stop and Search. Follow us on Facebook if you’d like to take part in discussions about policing in your local area.

Where can I find more information about Stop and Search in Basingstoke?

You can see more about the numbers by looking at the infographic, below. We have also provided the same data in a different format if that is easier for you.

Where can I find previous data for Basingstoke?

If you want to view data from previous quarters for the Basingstoke district, then you can find them here.