Use of stop and search by Cleveland Police officers has gone up by more 40% in the past year
More evidence has emerged of Cleveland Police’s increased use of stop and search powers with figures showing a year-on-year increase of more than 40%.
In August it was revealed that an average of 42 arrests a month were being made as a result of the tactic.
Police and Crime Commissioner Steve Turner said he was “really impressed” with efforts under Chief Constable Mark Webster to take a more proactive approach to stop and search, which had also resulted in more illegal items being found.
He said: “It sends a message to residents that Cleveland Police are proactively seeking to disrupt crime networks and gangs to make the area safer for everyone.”
Figures contained in a performance and delivery update issued by the PCC’s office showed that between October 2022 and September this year there were 8,664 stop and searches carried out, up 40.4% on the 6,171 in the previous 12 months.
Of those, a total of 26.1% resulted in either a positive outcome, such as weapons or drugs being found, with 20% of stop and searches leading to a linked outcome.
So to ensure the powers are used properly and proportionately, a stop and search scrutiny panel made of community representatives examines cases where people have been subject to such actions to ensure the law was followed.
It makes recommendations to the force which can be adopted in organisational learning.
Superintendent Marc Anderson, Cleveland Police’s lead officer on stop and search, previously said: “By stopping the right people in the right places, we have seen an increase in positive results from these searches.
“Ultimately, we want to prevent crime and keep the public safe.
“Stopping those acting suspiciously means that officers can make those checks to ensure that they have done everything in their power to achieve this.
“Stop and search removes the threat from the streets of Teesside, by catching criminals carrying knives or going equipped to steal.
“The high positive outcome rate also demonstrates that our searches are legitimate and officers are targeting the right people with justification for these searches.
“The robust scrutiny we have in place ensures that stop searches are carried out fairly and reasonably, so that we can use these powers effectively to target those suspected to be involved in criminal activity.”