Six Met officers disciplined over stop and search since 2014

Some 4,917 allegations have been made about the Metropolitan Police’s use of the tactic in the last seven years, according to data obtained by the PA news agency under Freedom of Information laws.

The number of complaints more than doubled from 786 in 2019 to 1,744 last year, with the number of searches carried out rising from 268,771 to 319,713 in the same period.

Not a single complaint among 990 cases in 2020 was found proven when investigated by the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards.

A total of 17 officers have faced disciplinary proceedings for stop and search since 2014, the figures show.

But allegations were found proven in just six of those cases, with four officers receiving management advice, one a written warning and another a final written warning.

Former shadow home secretary Diane Abbott told PA: “These figures show a very disappointing story.

“Nothing has caused more antagonism between the community and the police than the misuse of stop and search.

“Obviously there is a role for stop and search, but the Met Police management need to take enforcing the rules around it much more seriously.

“This situation can only undermine community confidence in the Met Police at a very difficult time.”

The Met said the disciplinary action figures relate only to breaches of Code A of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (Pace) 1984 – which governs the exercise by police officers of statutory powers to search a person or a vehicle without first making an arrest – and that other allegations, such as rudeness, would be recorded under a different allegation type.

A breakdown of complaint allegations relating to stop and search shows a total of 748 complaints recorded as a Breach of Code A between 2014 and 2020, meaning fewer than 1% have resulted in any disciplinary action.

Other allegations include assault, oppressive behaviour or harassment and discriminatory behaviour.

Commander Jane Connors, Met lead for stop and search, said: “Stop and search keeps Londoners safe and removes lethal weapons from our streets.

“We need to hear from those who are not happy – we welcome this scrutiny and drive for continual improvement.

“We would expect to see a rise in complaints considering the increase of stop and search encounters in 2020.

“However we are not complacent and are committed to ensuring that every encounter is conducted professionally with respect and courtesy.

“We understand the impact that even a thoroughly professional encounter can have on an individual stopped and searched, and that its impact can resonate more widely with communities.

“We want to work with our communities to increase their trust and confidence in their policing service.”

The data shows that one officer faced disciplinary proceedings last year, but the finding was not proved, with three out of seven cases proven in 2019.

One officer was disciplined after a proven finding in a total of three cases the previous year, while no findings were proved in 2017 despite four officers facing disciplinary proceedings.

Each single case in 2014 and 2016 was not proved, while no officers faced any action in 2015.

Campaign group StopWatch said: “The findings from this FOI prove once again that the police complaints system is not fit for purpose.

“It essentially requires individuals asking a force to police itself using procedures opaque to the public, so it comes as no surprise that those who need answers most from their negative stop and search experiences are least likely to access the system, and so there is little faith that injustices will be rectified.

“Worse still, the sheer volume of complaints tell us that too many police officers in London who conduct stop and searches cannot be trusted to do so properly.”

The figures come after the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) watchdog last year made 11 recommendations for the Met to improve its use of stop and search powers.

A review of cases found the “legitimacy of stop and searches was being undermined” by a number of issues, including a lack of understanding about the impact of disproportionality and poor communication.

In one investigation, a black man in possession of someone else’s credit card was suspected of having stolen it even after providing a credible explanation.

In another case, officers used stop and search powers after brothers Liam and Dijon Joseph, who are black, fist-bumped, believing them to be exchanging drugs.

Their lawyer, Carolynn Gallwey, from solicitors firm Bhatt Murphy, told PA: “The problem with the complaints process is that it doesn’t allow an inference of discrimination if there is no other explanation for why the officers acted as they did.

“So without overt discriminatory language etc they will always be given the benefit of the doubt.”

New legislation was introduced in February in a bid to overhaul the police discipline system.