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?

We have seen an increase in positive outcomes for this quarter. This is where we find an item during our search. This can only be a good thing for the city, as it means our officers are using their powers to locate and remove more drugs, weapons and stolen property from our streets.

Where we have also seen a change is in the grounds for the search with the number of searching taking place for drugs dropping while the number of searches taking place for offensive weapons and stolen property increasing.

Is our use of stop and search in Southampton proportionate?

Our disproportionality data is largely unchanged from the previous quarter. A mixed race person is almost as likely to be stopped as someone who is white, while an Asian person is less likely to be stopped, but the data shows a black person is 4.3 times more likely to be stopped.

We know that some families who have lost loved ones to violence and drug related harm advocate police searches but we also know many people have concerns about whether policing powers are used fairly. As a force we know that it helps us to keep people safe and spend considerable time scrutinising how it is used. But, we also recognise that our view alone is not enough.

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 Southampton?

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?

If you want to look at data from previous quarters in Southampton, then you will find it here.

What is the Southampton Independent Advisory Group (IAG) and what do they do?

Each quarter, members of our community meet as part of our IAG to discuss stop and search within the district and conduct a dip sample of searches to ensure they are lawful and proportionate.

Along with this, they will also take a look at locations where there have been a number of stops and individuals who have been stopped multiple times.

For the first time across Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, notes from an IAG meeting are being published. These notes are anonymised, but we hope will help show what our group does. We are keen to broaden this group further and get the views of our community, in particular those with direct experience of stop and search. 

If you wish to find out more or join our IAG, you can email [email protected]