Northumbria Police have recorded a 29% increase in the use of the force’s stop and search power, potentially linked to last summer’s riots.
Figures from the Police and Crime Commissioner’s panel report, due to be discussed by regional officials next week, have revealed a near 30% rise in stops and searches by police. Between the first two quarters of 2023/24 and 2023/24 saw 1,166 police street interventions, for a total of 5,188.
The PCC’s report states: “There has been a 29% increase in the use of stop and search across all demographic groups, which may have been impacted by the 2024 summer disorder, however this is supported by a 10% increase in the number of stop and searches that are identified as having sufficient grounds recorded…”
Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, Susan Dungworth, said: “Stop and Search can be extremely important in the fight against crime, as part of a broad range of activity and prevention work. I support the Chief Constable with any operational decisions around using this tool, when used fairly and effectively.”
The commissioner’s report also states that Northumbria Police are exploring ways to use QR codes to record stop and search satisfaction levels to be captured immediately.
Between 30 July and 7 August last year, around 29 anti-immigrations demonstrations and riots took place across 27 towns in the UK, including Middlesbrough, Sunderland, Hartlepool, and Darlington. In a court statement read by Police Constable Vanessa Jardine during the trial of the first four people convicted for rioting in Sunderland, the force estimated the policing costs of the disturbances was more than £1m, with repair costs running into the hundreds of thousands.
The riots were sparked by a mass stabbing, which claimed the lives of three children, in Southport on 29 July, 2024. The killer, Axel Rudakubana was sentenced to a minimum of 52 years in Liverpool Crown Court for the murders.
The commissioner’s report also states that Northumbria Police are exploring ways to use QR codes to record stop and search satisfaction levels to be captured immediately.
Regional cllrs will gather at Gateshead Civic Centre to discuss the PCC’s report on 11 Tuesday, at 1:30pm.
