Stop-and-Search stats revealed after enhanced powers were in place last week
They say they were acting on intelligence - and it comes after a number of recent incidents of serious youth violence in Bristol
Avon and Somerset Police have revealed 33 people were checked under enhanced stop and search powers in Bristol last week.
They were in place for two days across some parts of Bristol following a number of incidents in recent weeks involving knives - with officers doing it 'in light of intelligence'.
While no weapons were found under Section 60 of the Criminal Justice Act, two people were found in possession of small amounts of cannabis, and one person was told to take off their balaclava.
The powers allowed officers to stop and search people without needing reasonable grounds for suspicion and were enacted in Bristol city centre, St Pauls, Easton, Eastville, Ashley Down, Temple and Fishponds from 5pm on Thursday (15 February) – 5pm on Saturday (17 February).
More than half (17) of those stopped were aged between 18 and 24 with a just over a third (12) aged between 10 and 17.
Fourteen of those searched were white, 12 were black, six were mixed heritage while one was Asian.
Officers have confirmed most of the searches happened in the Castle Park area but people were also stopped in Wine Street, Queen Square, River Street and Lansdown Road as well as Albany Road, Berkeley Square, Broadmead, Goodhind Street, Trinity Road, Stapleton Road and The Horsefair.
All the searches were recorded on body worn video and all of those stopped were offered a stop and search receipt.
Every stop carried out has been scrutinised and personally watched by Ch Insp Hayward-Melen and will be scrutinised externally by the Independent Scrutiny of Police Powers Panel as is standard practise for Section 60 searches and authorities.
Chief Inspector Hayward-Melen said: “We know that the decision to use the powers in some parts of the city and not others was of concern to some communities. The decision was based on recent incidents of violence in the designated areas and on current intelligence.
“The powers were brought in following consultation with stakeholders and community leaders and in direct response to those leaders telling us they wanted the police to do more to try and keep young people safe.
“We know that the disproportionality shown in these figures will be of great concern to many and we’d like to reassure people that every stop will be scrutinised externally by the Independent Scrutiny of Police Powers Panel.
“We are committed to working alongside all our partners and communities to reduce the harm caused by weapons on our streets. Knife crime and youth violence are complex, layered issues which require a long-term multi-agency strategy to make an impact. However, we do sometimes need to introduce short-term measures to keep people safe.
"The use of Section 60 powers is undoubtedly a short-term tool and we’ll be evaluating its impact and effectiveness as we go forward.”
You can find out more about the work going on to reduce the youth violence on the Avon and Somerset Police website.