Transparency

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?

A key focus of our Stop and Search powers has been on tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) and youth related crime. We see repeat incidents in Newport, in particular around Church Litten, in Ryde, and in Sandown, where our team's considerable efforts have contributed to a significant reduction in ASB in the 'bay' area.

We know from contact with you that ASB is one of the things you want us to focus on. More than 60% of our stops are on people between the ages of 10 and 24, and many of these youngsters say they have nothing better to do. We are working with partners to find and develop other activities we can divert young people to.

Our most stopped individuals are both young people, who have been stopped three times each for cannabis and alcohol/tobacco seizures, these six stops resulted in one arrest and on one occasion an individual was reported for summons.

Is our use of Stop and Search proportionate on the Isle of Wight?

We have seen an increase in the disproportionality of stops. To provide further clarity on this, in this three month period we stopped three black people, each were adults and were stopped in relation to use of drugs. Our use of these powers is under constant scrutiny to ensure stop are lawful and the grounds proportionate.

To reassure both ourselves and the wider community regarding the use of these police powers, our stop searches are reviewed by the local independent advisory group each quarter, disproportionality remains under constant scrutiny.

We know that while there are those who support the use of Stop and Search, for some there are concerns about its fairness and proportionality. It is really important to us that we are able to have full and frank conversations about this with our communities.

Our Independent Advisory Groups review stops across the force each quarter, to ensure we are conducting them lawfully and proportionately.

Where can I find more information about Stop & Search on the Isle of Wight?

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.

The current district priorities for the Isle of Wight are:

• Preventing, reducing and tackling perpetrators of drug-related harm (DRH)
• Preventing, reducing and tackling perpetrators of domestic abuse