'Stop and search' does not prevent crime, and only fuels resentment

The powers invested in the police to "stop and search" those they suspect of planning a crime have never been a very effective way of catching criminals. The only real achievement of this approach has been to alienate ethnic minorities, who always find themselves disproportionately and unjustly targeted. But the 22 per cent rise in the number of stop and searches since 2001 is evidence that the police force has still not learnt this lesson.

The powers invested in the police to "stop and search" those they suspect of planning a crime have never been a very effective way of catching criminals. The only real achievement of this approach has been to alienate ethnic minorities, who always find themselves disproportionately and unjustly targeted. But the 22 per cent rise in the number of stop and searches since 2001 is evidence that the police force has still not learnt this lesson.

Stop and search has long been an inflammatory issue, open to overzealous use by the police and likely to causing resentment on the streets. It was one of the tactics blamed for the Brixton riots by Lord Scarman in his 1981 report. The waning influence of another report - the Macpherson report into the death of Stephen Lawrence - may be one reason why the figures have now gone up again.

In the aftermath of the 1999 report, which uncovered deep "institutional racism" in the Metropolitan force, officers decided to cut down on stop and searches, as these were a very obvious manifestation of police prejudice.

But now they have gone back to their old ways. There has been a 38 per cent increase in searches for black people, compared with a 17 per cent increase for whites. Those with an Asian background are also being disproportionately targeted.

In the past two years the number of Asians stopped by the police, often under powers granted by the 2000 Terrorism Act, has increased by some 300 per cent, though admittedly from a low base. This harassment of innocent Muslims should come as no surprise given the tide of Islamophobia that has washed over us since 11 September 2001. Islam is often portrayed in a negative light and all Muslims as potential terrorists.

In that sense the police are merely reflecting this climate. Indeed, the chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, Glen Smyth, made exactly this point on the BBC yesterday.

Those who are unconcerned by the malign social effects of stop and search argue that it plays a vital role in reducing crime. But only 13 per cent of stop and searches have led to an arrest, exactly the same proportion as in 2001. It is also worth noting that none of those arrests has been for terrorism. Even the Home Office minister, Hazel Blears, believes the number of Asians being stopped and searched is too high and plans to produce a guidance manual for all police forces to get the figures down to a reasonable level.

The Government would do better to re-examine the whole principle of stop and search and think hard about whether the police are capable of using these powers responsibly and in a manner that does not damage relations with minorities. There are many ways in which society can try to combat crime and terrorism more effectively, but resorting to this discredited technique is not one of them.