Police officers in Hertfordshire used ‘stop and search’ powers less in 2023/24 than in the previous year, according to a new report.
When used, those searches were more likely to lead to an arrest than the year before. The data is included in the annual report of the Hertfordshire Independent Stop and Search Scrutiny Panel.
According to that report, 6,617 searches were conducted in Hertfordshire in 2023/24 – which is five per cent fewer than the number carried out in the previous year (2022/23).
Of those searches, it says 1286 ( 19 per cent) resulted in an arrest – which is a one per cent increase in the arrest rate, compared to the previous year.
‘Stop and search’ powers are designed to enable police to eliminate or confirm suspicions that an individual may be in possession of stolen or prohibited items, without using their power of arrest.
Since 2015 the use of those powers has been scrutinised by Hertfordshire’s Independent Stop and Search Scrutiny Panel, which is managed by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner.
According to the panel’s annual report, in 2023/24 the panel scrutinised 433 stop and search records – reviewing the written grounds for the search, the time, the location and the powers used.
They recorded a ‘position of confidence’ in the stop and search records scrutinised – which included written records and body worn video – of 74.9 per cent.
In some cases they did raise issues that related to insufficient detail in terms of time, location and chronology – as well as reference to ‘intelligence’ without defining how recent the intelligence was or how it had related to the individual.
But in conclusion the report says the panel has ‘no serious concerns about the use of stop and search in Hertfordshire’.
And – pointing to rising arrest and ‘positive outcome’ rates – they suggest the trajectory is “one of improvement”.
The ‘positive outcome rate’ reflects the proportion of stop and searches that lead to out of court disposals – such as community resolutions or conditional cautions – as well as arrests.
According to the report, in 23/24 there was a 35 per cent ‘positive outcome rate’ across Hertfordshire. The panel’s annual report also includes a breakdown of the locations where stop and search powers were used in the county.
The highest number of stop and searches in 23/24 were recorded in Stevenage where there were 989. And the lowest number was is Three Rivers, where there were 285.
Across the county there were 955 in Watford; 753 in Dacorum; 676 in St Albans; 556 in East Herts; 538 in Broxbourne; 531 in North Herts; 529 in Hertsmere; and 524 in Welwyn Hatfield.
The report also breaks down the positive outcome rate by location – which was highest in Welwyn Hatfield, at 43 per cent, and lowest in North Herts at 25 per cent.
Elsewhere in the county, the positive outcome rate recorded in Three Rivers was 42 per cent; in Hertsmere was 40 per cent; in St Albans was 35 per cent; in Broxbourne was 35 per cent; in Stevenage was 33 per cent; in Dacorum was 33 per cent; in Watford was 32 per cent; and in East Herts was 32 per cent.
According to the data in the report the majority of those stopped were male (84.7 per cent).
Those aged between 15 and 19 was the age group most likely to be stopped, accounting for 27.4 per cent of all searches. And those aged 20 to 24 accounted for a further 19.7 per cent.
According to the data, in 23/24, black people were 4.4 times more likely to be stopped under stop and search powers in Hertfordshire than white people.
Addressing the issue of ‘disproportionality’ the report highlights a report by the University of Hertfordshire, commissioned by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner last year.
And it says the report had concluded that “the majority of perceived disproportionality was explained by the geographical location of where the stop and search took place”.
Although, it says, the findings would suggest there is better practice in Hertfordshire than other forces, it says “there is still disparity and more work to do”.
And it states: “The report is a springboard to move forward and identifies further questions and gaps in the data which need to be examined further.
“It is a starting point for exploring disproportionality in Hertfordshire, not the end point.”
Building on the findings of the University of Hertfordshire’s report, the the annual report says the panel will “ensure disproportionality becomes a routine area of scrutiny”.
The annual report of the Hertfordshire Independent Stop and Search Scrutiny Panel was presented to the latest meeting of the Hertfordshire Police and Crime Panel.
Deborah is a Local Democracy Reporter covering news across Hertfordshire, with a strong focus on councils, local government and public policy. Her reporting includes county council decisions, council tax, spending pressures, legal and regulatory issues, healthcare stories including junior doctors, and community projects affecting local residents.
