DORSET Police has responded to recent figures on stop-and-searches on people of colour.

According to the Home Office, Dorset Police conducted 112 stop and searches on black people in the year to March – equivalent to 21.1 per 1,000 black people in the area.

This is in comparison to a rate of 2.2 per 1,000 white people in Dorset, meaning black people were 9.8 times more likely to be subject to a stop-and-search.

In response to the figures, assistant chief constable Steve Lyne said: "Stop and search are unique powers for policing and if used fairly and effectively, can help keep people and our communities safe.

"If it isn't used fairly, we know it can have a significant detrimental impact on individuals and communities and the trust and confidence they have in policing, especially our Black communities.

"We are working hard to ensure that we are using our stop and search powers on those people who bring most harm to our communities. As a result, we see some great results here in Dorset with weapons, drugs and stolen property being recovered and people being brought to justice.

"In Dorset we have seen our disparity rates decrease in recent years but we acknowledge that progress to eliminate disproportionality in our use of stop and search has been slow and it is not where we want it to be.

"We are working with members of our Black community to explore and develop ways in which we can reform the use of stop and search, while talking to our workforce to understand what causes our disparity and recognising the lived experiences of those from our Black communities.

"We have established an Independent Scrutiny Panel, chaired by a member of our community and with participants from a wide and diverse range of our communities, who review stop and search records and body worn video of a number of encounters on a quarterly basis.

"These reviews and relevant feedback are provided to the force and published on our website. A similar scrutiny panel is held by the Office of Police and Crime Commissioner."