GMP Committed to Improving Stop Search Proportionality in line with Independent Community Scrutiny Panels

GMP annual stop and search figures demonstrate the force’s positive trajectory of conducting fair, respectful and intelligence-led use of stop search powers.

Greater Manchester Police have made tremendous efforts to ensure the force’s increased stop and search activity is carried out in a fair and effective way that supports public confidence.

Superintendent Phil Spurgeon said: “GMP has well-established Independent Community Scrutiny Panels across all 10 policing Districts and the Specialist Operations Branch.

“These panels, comprised of volunteers from the community, meet regularly to review stop and search and use of force encounters, including Body Worn Video.

“Feedback on encounters is shared with officers involved and used to inform wider learning and the development of policing powers.

“Additionally, Senior Leadership Teams across the force conduct regular dip sampling, reviewing stop and search encounters at random, to evaluate conduct and potential for disproportionate impact on particular groups.”

“It’s important to note, disproportionality in stop and search in relation to ethnicity in Greater Manchester remains well below that of England & Wales.

“Black people in Greater Manchester are 2.1 times more likely to be stopped and searched; a significant improvement from 3.7 last year and the national figure of 4.8. Further work is taking place to continue moving that in the right direction.

“Diversity, equality, and inclusion are key considerations for Greater Manchester Police, particularly when it comes to stop and search. GMP’s DEI board, chaired personally by Chief Constable Stephen Watson, governs the force’s stop and search strategy.

“Work that’s been ongoing over the past 18 months is starting to pay dividends in helping GMP understand and address stop and search ethnicity disproportionality

“As part of this, GMP has improved the number of records where the subject’s self-defined ethnicity is completed by officers at the time of the encounter, to give us more accurate data, which has improved from 62% in 2020, to 83% currently.”

Initiatives to improve stop and search proportionality are being implemented as the force increases stop and search activity, generally, to keep people safe.

In the last 12 months to April, GMP conducted 425 successful searches that’s nearly double (49%) compared to the previous period when 217 successful searches were recorded.

Superintendent Phil Spurgeon explains, to yield these results, stop and search activity increased by 167% in 2022. “We had a very low baseline of stop and search activity and through significantly increasing stop and searches, GMP is now more in line with other forces in its ‘Most Similar Group’ which includes Merseyside, West Midlands and West Yorkshire.

“Search outcomes, relating to seizures and arrests, have remained relatively static throughout the increase, and in line with national averages, which is a clear and positive indication that these powers are being evoked with good reason.

“GMP understand being searched can feel invasive, we want to reassure the public that officers only exercise this power when it’s necessary to further investigations into criminal activity and protect the public.”