Stop and search remains a hugely important police power for protecting the public, tackling crime and keeping our streets safe.

It's an invaluable tool, especially in relation to knife crime; resulting in over 3,500 arrests for weapon possession and for taking several thousand weapons off the streets of London each year.

Stop and search must be used in a fair and effective way that supports public confidence and is independently scrutinised.

Over the past few years we've changed the way we use stop and search, it's now used far less and is much more effective; complaints have reduced by 60 per cent. There are no individual numeric stop and search targets set for officers.

We do not underestimate the impact stop and search has on communities and individuals. We know that to maintain public confidence in its use, the power must be used in a fair and effective manner.

Primary purpose of stop and search

The primary purpose of stop and search is to enable officers to either allay or confirm their suspicions about an individual without having to arrest them.

Effectiveness must reflect where suspicion has been allayed and an unnecessary arrest, which is more intrusive, has been avoided; or where suspicion has been confirmed and the object is found or a relevant crime is detected.

Presently, 32 per cent, almost one in three of all searches, result in the officer's suspicion being confirmed and an illegal object found or a relevant crime detected. Our arrest rate is now 20 per cent, up from eight per cent in 2011.

We recognise the increase in knife crime and continue to make a concerted effort with operations such as Teal and Sceptre to tackle this.

The aims of these operations are to remove knives from circulation and target habitual knife carriers. This includes the use of intelligence led stop and search, where it is an appropriate tactic, in areas with high levels of knife crime and gang violence.

Controlled drugs are a concern of many local communities and are often linked to anti-social behaviour. The overall outcome rate from drug searches is currently 34 per cent and one third of all our weapons arrests from stop and search come from drug searches.

Stop and search and gender, age and race

There is disparity in the use of stop and search in relation to gender, age and race.

The reasons for the disparity are complex and include the use of the power to tackle gangs and specific crimes. All measures of proportionality are subjective depending on which population base is employed.

No population base will ever accurately capture a street population or offender profile in a given area at a given time.

In 2016, 42 per cent of people who were stopped and searched were white, 40 per cent were black and 14 per cent Asian. 

In a survey of 9,492 school children in London aged 11 to 18 years conducted by the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime in 2015, 58 per cent of them believed stop and search made them feel safer.

Recording stop and searches

The use of body worn video cameras help to reassure the public that their interactions with the police are recorded. The technology offers greater transparency for those in front of the camera as well as those behind it.

The cameras will allow officers to demonstrate the professionalism of officers, gather evidence and demonstrate their professionalism in the face of many challenges.

Effective stop and searches

We believe a stop and search is most likely to be fair and effective when:

  • the search is justified, lawful and stands up to public scrutiny
  • the officer has genuine and objectively reasonable suspicion they will find a prohibited article or item for use in crime
  • the person understands why they have been searched and feels they have been treated with respect
  • the search was necessary and was the most proportionate method the police officer could use to establish whether the person has such an item

The Met's commissioner supports the use of stop and search in a fair and effective way that enhances public confidence and is independently scrutinised.

We will continue to work with our communities and stakeholders to improve the quality of interactions and ensure that stop and search continues to protect Londoners.

Our chief constable supports the use of stop and search in a fair and effective way that enhances public confidence and is independently scrutinised.

We will continue to work with our communities and stakeholders to improve the quality of interactions and ensure that stop and search continues to protect the public.

Position statements and action plan

Position statements have been developed in relation to specific aspects of stop and search. Download the documents for further information on: