Greater Manchester Police: stop and search increased 25 times the national average

The use of stop and search powers by Greater Manchester Police has increased by 25 times the national average.

More than 100 people in the region were stopped and searched by police every day last year, new figures show.

The powers were used to stop more than 42,000 people in 2023, up from just over 9,000 in 2021 – around 25 times the national average increase between those years.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said the stop and search was “police work” which “contributes to a drop in crime” and was “never taken lightly”.

In England and Wales, Section 1 stop and search powers allow the police to search a person or vehicle if they have “reasonable grounds” to suspect that the person is carrying:

GMP figures show black people are still more likely to be stopped in the region than any other group.

Liberty, the human rights organisation, previously said stop and search was “one of the most controversial and criticized police powers”.

But GMP said the decision to deploy the powers was “targeted and intelligence-led and practiced on people who are suspected of being involved in crime”.

Some people in the Hulme area of ​​Manchester said they were concerned by the figures, with some questioning the need to use stop-and-search to such an extent.

“I have experienced this and many men in this area share my point of view.”

In Greater Manchester, black people are 2.4 times more likely to be stopped and searched than any other group.

Nationally, black people are 4.1 times more likely to be stopped and searched than other groups – down from 4.8 times last year, government figures show.

One woman said she was upset that one ethnic group seemed to be disproportionately targeted.

She said: “It makes me feel angry and targeted, to be honest.

“If I had a son that was going to be targeted, I don’t think I would want that.”

GMP said that stop and search powers were “never used lightly” and that “police officers will only exercise their legal right to stop and search members of the public when they have a genuine suspicion that doing so will further their investigations into criminal activity.

“Whether that means looking for weapons, drugs or stolen property.”