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Police officer holds a small bag of suspected cannabis
Suspicion of drugs possession is the most common reason given by officers when using stop and search powers, with black people more likely to be stopped than white. Photograph: Victoria Jones/PA
Suspicion of drugs possession is the most common reason given by officers when using stop and search powers, with black people more likely to be stopped than white. Photograph: Victoria Jones/PA

Met may change stop and search tactics on cannabis possession

This article is more than 3 years old

Reforms are part of London mayor’s plans amid concerns police powers damaging race relations

The Metropolitan police could change how it deals with cannabis possession amid concerns stop and search powers damage community relations, and yield little in the way of illegal drugs.

The move is part of plans drawn up by London’s mayor to ease the race crisis engulfing policing. More potential changes will be unveiled later on Thursday to the way Britain’s biggest force deals with communities in London.

Research starting this month will examine how effective the Met’s pursuit of those suspected of possessing cannabis is in tackling violence in London.

Suspicion of drug possession is the most common reason given by officers when using controversial stop and search powers, with black people more likely to be stopped than white.

But nothing is found in four out of five stops and black youngsters feel it is an excuse to harass them.

The Guardian understands that at least one other major force outside London is considering curbing officers’ ability to use suspicion of drug possession as a reason for a stop and search.

The review follows a report by the police inspectorate which criticised the service over stop and search. Almost half of all stop and searches in England and Wales are carried out by the Met.

The report last month by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary said the most common reason given for stops was drug possession and questioned whether this was an effective use of the power or police time, given that so little was found.

The report, covering all forces, said drug searches on black people were also more likely to be carried out without intelligence, with officers recording weaker grounds for doing so and with less likelihood of finding anything.

While possession of cannabis is unlawful, HMIC questioned why so much police time and resources were being put into such a relatively minor offence, compared with the supply of drugs which attract harsher sentences.

The decision on reform at the Met will follow new academic research into the impact of drugs stop and search tactics on violent crime and the impact of cannabis enforcement on community relations, particularly among London’s black communities. It will aim to boost the effectiveness and proportionality of police enforcement tactics on cannabis.

The move represents a questioning of a sensitive area of policing and could change the way the Met has run its street operations for years.

In research for London mayor Sadiq Khan’s race action plan, black Londoners said the enforcement of cannabis possession was a large part of why they felt targeted by police, with it leading to racial profiling and allegedly excessive stop and search by Met officers. It is claimed this happens sometimes solely on the grounds of an officer claiming they smell cannabis, despite police rules that say this should not happen.

The race plan was launched in November following months of negotiations between the Met and the mayor.

It comes after mass Black Lives Matter protests over police racism following the killing of George Floyd in the US in May last year. The Met became embroiled in a series of race controversies, mostly involving stop and search.

New details will be revealed on Thursday about other initiatives, including community panels with better racial representation. They will not only look at policing in local areas, but also at the actions of units operating across London. These include the territorial support group, the violent crime taskforce and roads policing, amid concerns about the stopping of black motorists. It will not look at the public order command.

The Met will be set a target to recruit 30% of its new officers from a black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) background by April 2021, rising to 40% from April 2022.

Khan said: “It is crucial that our communities feel they are properly listened to and concerns about the disproportionate use of police powers acted upon if we are to improve the trust and confidence among all Londoners.”

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