BLACK people in Hampshire are far more likely to be stopped and searched by police than white people.

Home Office data, from the year to March 2021, shows the county constabulary conducted thousands more stop and searches when compared to the previous 12 months.

Using the same data, it has been revealed that black people are 7.4 times more likely to be stopped.

This is a slight decrease when compared to 2019-20, where black people were 9.2 times more likely to be stopped.

A spokesperson for Hampshire Constabulary said: "The force is taking part in national research regarding 'available populations', which looks deeper in to the issue of disproportionately, and we are working hard to better understand this."

A stock image of a Hampshire Constabulary patrol car in Above Bar Street, Southampton, in September 2021

County officers used stop and search powers 12,782 times in the year to March – up from 9,211 the year before.

Despite this rise, the proportion of searches which led to an arrest fell from 16% to 12% over this period.

In Hampshire, 70% of stop and searches were for drugs – up from 62% in 2019-20, and also a record high.

The spokesperson added: "Stop and search is an important part of our community policing, helping us to protect the public, particularly the most vulnerable.

"Whenever we use the powers available to us, it must be done in line with national guidance, where there are reasonable grounds for their use and where it is proportionate.

"Policing is complex and challenging, and for these powers to be used effectively, and the confidence of our communities to be retained, it is important that they are used in the right way, and are effectively scrutinised both within the constabulary and independently.

Stock image of a Hampshire Constabulary patrol car

Stock image of a Hampshire Constabulary patrol car

"Our Independent Advisory Groups (IAGs) are crucial in our continued work to forge stronger and closer partnerships with our communities. We are working to increase diversity of these groups and we welcome anyone who wishes to join and help provide a broader range of scrutiny on what we do.

"The majority of the stops carried out were where there was a suspicion of drugs being present. Drug-related crime can and does have serious effects on communities across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and stop and search is just one of the many powers we have to tackle drug related criminality."