§ Mr. Dubsasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many stops and searches took place in 1982 in the Metropolitan police area; how many prosecutions followed; and how many resulted in convictions;
(2) if he will break down by type of offence (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions resulting from stops and searches in the Metropolitan police area in 1982;
(3) how many stops and searches took place in 1982 and 1983 in each Metropolitan police district; and how many led to prosecution.
§ Mr. Hurd[pursuant to his reply, 7 November 1983, c. 33–34]: I understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that the information now available relates to 1982 and is given in the attached table.
The table shows the number of persons recorded as having been stopped in the exercise of statutory powers of stop and search in 1982; it also includes a small number of cases in which vehicles were stopped under the Road Traffic Acts. The number of arrests resulting from recorded stops is also shown. Recorded stops may result in a summons or some other action which does not include an arrest; the number of such cases is not available centrally. Statistics showing the number of occasions on which a search was conducted are not available. Details of the offences with which those subsequently arrested were charged and the numbers prosecuted or convicted are not collected centrally on a regular basis and such information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
The information in the table is drawn from records maintained at police stations for operational purposes. Officers are not required to make a record on each occasion that they stop members of the public to speak to them and the statistics therefore give only a partial account 513W of police/public interactions of this kind. The decision as to what constitutes a stop may often depend on the subjective judgment to the officer and the members of the public concerned.
Persons stopped and the number of resultant arrests Metropolitan Police District, 1982 Police District Number of persons stopped *Number of resultant arrests A—(Part) Westminster 35,000 2,300 B—Kensington and Chelsea 38,600 3,900 C—(Part) Westminster 42,500 6,600 D—(Part) Westminster 32,200 2,400 E—Camden 32,100 2,600 F—Hammersmith 27,400 2,200 G—Hackney 20,400 2,000 H—Tower Hamlets 27,300 2,500 I—Heathrow, etc. 23,300 1,500 J—Waltham Forest, Redbridge, etc. 25,900 1,700 K—Havering, Barking and Newham 38,000 4,900 L—Lambeth 37,300 3,300 M—Southwark 42,200 2,800 N—Islington 26,400 3,000 P—Lewisham and Bromley 45,600 4,100 Q—Brent and Harrow 37,900 3,000 R—Greenwich and Bexley 30,600 2,800 S—Barnet and Hertsmere 39,100 2,100 T—Richmond-upon-Thames and Hounslow 31,900 2,100 V—Kingston-upon-Thames, Merton etc. 21,600 1,900 W—Wandsworth 31,500 2,500 X—Ealing and Hillingdon 33,400 2,700 Y—Haringey and Enfield 28,200 3,200 Z—Croydon and Sutton, etc. 37,400 4,000 TA—Thames Division 200 20 TOTAL MPD 787,000 70,100 * Persons proceeded against by means of a charge, referral to juvenile bureau, a caution or in some other way; arrests followed by no formal action are not included. Note: The figures are rounded because they are based on information recorded in station registers for operational purposes which is unsuitable for the preparation of statistical summaries.