Over the whole country, black and ethnic minority people are five times more likely than white people to be stopped and searched by the police. In areas of London where lots of African-Caribbean people live, they are stopped and searched three times more often than you'd expect from their numbers. In the whole London area, 20% of the population are from ethnic minority groups, but they make up 43% of those stopped and searched.

In 1993, only 13% of the 442,800 people stopped and searched were actually arrested, so being stopped doesn't mean that they did the crime. It certainly suggests that the police think they're more likely to be guilty if they're black....

(Figures are from an answer given in Parliament, December 1994)

Half of the official complaints by black people against the London police in 1997 were about being stopped and searched.

There is no doubt that this matches accounts and feelings reported elsewhere in the country, and with established research findings. A report in 1995 showed that African-Caribbean youths were more likely than any other group to be

• stopped in the street (though no more likely to be arrested as a result)
• prosecuted rather than cautioned
• charged with more serious offences
• remanded in custody
• plead not guilty
• and either be acquitted or receive a custodial sentence.

There have been some cases proved of racism inside the police force. In 1997, five police officers were made to leave the force because of their racist behaviour.

In the same year the head of the Police Complaints Authority said that the number of complaints about racist treatment of officers by other officers would damage the reputation of the police. The number of complaints from the public about being treated in a racist way by the police went from 362 in 1994/5 to 397 in 1995/6 to 444 in 1996/7.

In 1999, the Stephan Lawrence Inquiry report was published. It stated that the police force was institutionally racist. Just under 2% of all police officers are black or Asian, compared with 6% of the general population The police are now monitoring four main areas.

• The number of recorded racist incidents
• The use of stop and search
• Levels of recruitment and promotions of Asian and black staff
• Surveys of public satisfaction

Tzu Lee's grandmother

I think what people should remember is that some crimes are more likely to be committed by people who have less money. People with lots of money don't need to steal it. There are lots of areas with high crime rates where there aren't many black people, crimes still happen.

Most people that are involved in crime like robbery are poorer, maybe out of work, maybe people without much chance of work. This doesn't mean that unemployed people are criminals, or that it's okay to steal, it just means that it's nothing to do with being black. You have to take account of who has a reason to steal or commit other crimes.