Police 6 times more likely to stop black people

A new row over police racism broke out today with evidence that black people are six times more likely to be stopped and searched on the streets.

The figures, from the Home Office, show that the gulf is widening.

And the first analysis of how police are using new anti-terrorism powers confirmed fears among Muslim leaders that their community is also being targeted.

Home Office Minister Baroness Scotland called the figures "frustrating".

Home Secretary David Blunkett issued fresh guidance to police on the use of search powers and announced a taskforce to examine the causes of unequal treatment.

In 2002/3, black people made up 2.8 per cent of the population but 14 per cent of those stopped and searched - making black individuals six times more likely to be singled out than their white counterparts. A year earlier they were only five times more likely to be stopped.

Police say black people are simply more likely to be out on the street at times and places searches are being carried out.

Nevertheless, Baroness Scotland said: "The lack of progress was frustrating since we have done so much to change procedures. We intend to aggressively address this."

The first figures for searches under the 2000 Terrorism Act - which lets police search people even without grounds for suspicion - showed that Asians, most of whom are Muslim, were three times more likely to be targeted.

While searches of white people under anti-terror laws doubled in 2002/3, searches of Asians rose fourfold. Most of the 21,577 terror searches were in potential target areas such as Whitehall. Eighteen led to arrests connected with terrorism.

Massoud Shadjareh, spokesman for the Islamic Human Rights Commission, said: "We are appalled. This proves that there is a lot of Islamophobia."

In London in 2002/3, use of stop and search powers by the Metropolitan Police rose 30 per cent among white people, 36 per cent among black people and 37 per cent among Asians - widening the existing gap.

Nationwide the trend was even more marked with rises of 17 per cent among whites, 38 per cent among blacks and 36 per cent among Asians. Overall, ethnic minorities - nine per cent of the general population - accounted for 22 per cent of those stopped and searched, 16 per cent of those arrested, and 21 per cent of the prison population.