It does matter if I'm Black or white!

[TestMangler]

But if blacks make up, say, 10% of the population shouldn't they be stopped 4.5 more frequently?

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to BrilloPad again.

Maybe instead of some of the racist terms which are now banned, we could use 'A Google' as a collective term for a group of black youths, due to the number of times they get searched in a day

[shaunbhoy]

there didn't seem to be any intelligence led policing involved.

BAU

[vetran]

It would be reasonable to target black men for 54 - 66% of the stop and searches then, any more than that is a statistical bias that would suggest the met are a bunch of racists. .

Agree

http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/u...rch_report.pdf

is interesting

Also some stats to show what percentage of black men go through life never having committed an offence would be helpful in this discussion, targeting people simply due to colour is enough to make the good people in that sector of society turn against it IMO.

Hmm now that might be a self fulfilling prophecy, friend of mine spent 9 months on remand (case dismissed eventually) maybe that was because he was a stupid idiot but it could also be partially because he was black?

[vetran]

But if blacks make up, say, 10% of the population shouldn't they be stopped 4.5 more frequently?

its 6 - 10 times more frequently.

[BrilloPad]

targeting people simply due to colour is enough to make the good people in that sector of society turn against it IMO.

No-one seems to mind about the family courts targeting men simply due to their gender.

[BrilloPad]

its 6 - 10 times more frequently.

Sorry - I didn't realize we were going to assguru level of stats. Mine was a guesstimate.

However I still believe that targeting any group is wrong. Police should target people according to their behaviour.

Except for gingers! They should be stopped every time.....

[shaunbhoy]

so does that mean that targeting bobs on here will stop then?

Not as long as Troll and his merry band of sycophantic sockies have logins.

[Alias]

sorry, forgot to tow the official line...

no targeting goes on here...move along, nothing to see

[vetran]

Sorry - I didn't realize we were going to assguru level of stats. Mine was a guesstimate.

However I still believe that targeting any group is wrong. Police should target people according to their behaviour.

Except for gingers! They should be stopped every time.....

was meant to be a nugget of information not a challenge.

I suspect its the usual situation, both sides are wrong and know it, if they argue about it long enough they either make their career as a Yuman rights lawyer or it goes away if you are a copper.

Personally I'd video all police interaction and either use it as evidence (if they kick off during a stop & search) or as a training / discipline aid (review random ones and all complaints).

[BoredBloke]

But if blacks make up, say, 10% of the population shouldn't they be stopped 4.5 more frequently?

I was going to make the exact same response. If 10% of a population is responsible for almost half the crime and that population is distinguishable by some form or other then it stands to reason that the coppers would focus more on people with this group.
It's like anything else. The customs will take a keener interest in people entering the country from certain other countries or on passports for certain countries than others, based on the probability that they might be up to something.

Yes it must be really annoying for the innocent people who are stopped regularly, but I'd have thought it was a pretty obvious tactic by the coppers.