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 our stops in this quarter, by 116. Drugs searches continue to be the main reason for stops being conducted, and we saw this increase by 79 in the period in question. We continue to have a number of county drug lines within the city, who target young people and the most vulnerable, and officers have been focused on this.

A positive for us is that arrests and positive outcomes increases as well. If we have grounds to search someone, then it is great when this search then leads to us finding the item we were looking for.

There continues to be the focus stop and search for stolen goods. This is part of the Southampton district priorities. The City Centre Unit continues to have the drive and focus to reduce shop lifting and the numbers continue to highlight the robust approach to this crime.

The majority of searches (491) were conducted in central area of the city. This illustrates the focus of officers in this area to reduce crime, and anti-social behaviour.

Is our use of stop and search in Southampton proportionate?

Whilst our number of stops has stayed almost the same, our disproportionality has reduced. You are 3.4 times more likely to be stopped compared to a white person.

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]