Non-white people 1.4 times more likely to be subject to stop and search in Barnsley, says police report

Between July and September 2022, 574 stop and searches were recorded in Barnsley – 19 per cent of overall stop searches recorded in South Yorkshire.

Of the stop and searches, 22 per cent found illegal drugs, offensive weapons, stolen articles or and items made or adapted for use in crime.

The report, to Dr Alan Billings, South Yorkshire’s police and crime commissioner states that individuals identifying as ‘other than white’ were 1.4 times more likely to be subject to stop and search powers, and individuals identifying themselves as ‘black’ were 1.4 times more likely to be stop and searched than someone identifying as ‘white’ in Barnsley.

The report adds that “despite the disproportionality across these self-definedethnic groups, the proportion of stop and searches that resulted in a positive outcome was substantially higher when the individual self-defined as ‘black’ rather than ‘white’.”

“This does provide some reassurance that, despite the apparent disparity in the use of stop and search across self-defined ethnic groups, the powers are being used in an intelligence-led, proportionate manner,” adds the report.

“It should, however, be noted that due to only three per cent of the Barnsley district population being ‘other than white’ and one per cent being “black”, the number of stop and searches within these self-defined ethnic groups are relatively small and subject to significant statistical fluctuation.

“The use of stop and search remains an important police tactic to tackle offences of robbery, burglary, theft, drugs and weapons possession.”