Stop and Search
7. Stop and Search (East Hants)
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?
Our focus in quarter two of 24-25, which covers July to September 2024, has been mainly around drug use and supply, and on criminals visiting or travelling through East Hampshire.
We work and share intelligence with other forces and police areas to prevent drug dealing and use in the district.
Overall, our teams conducted 73 stops, with 53 of these related to searches for drugs. In 20 of these overall stops, we had a positive outcome, which is where an items is found.
Is our use of Stop and Search in East Hants proportionate?
Disproportionality has increased in the last quarter. It's important we review this but numbers don’t always tell the full story. In this period, we saw an increase of three stops of black people, all of whom were arrested on suspicion of being involved with drug supply as a result of intelligence shared by other forces. None of them were residents from East Hampshire.
We make sure that we scrutinise our use of these powers, to ensure we are using them proportionately and legitimately. Both sergeants and inspectors check paperwork, body worn video of stops, and provide feedback to officers. This also helps us inform how we use stop and search and develop training.
Our Independent Advisory Groups also review stops and the body worn video of those stops and produce an independent report on their findings. We are always keen to identify those with lived experience of stop and search to join our IAG scrutiny panels.
Where can I find more information about Stop and Search in East Hants?
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 the East Hants district?
If you want to take a look at data from previous quarters for East Hants, then you can find that here.
