POLICE SEARCHES ON RISE

The use of controversial stop and search powers by police in Avon and
Somerset is on the increase, new figures have revealed. But the increase in
shake-downs by officers has not made a big impact on arrests and
convictions - just one in seven stop and searches in the region leads to an
arrest.

According to the Home Office, police used the measures on 18,690 separate
occasions in 2002/2003. That compares with 15,520 in the previous year.

The 3,170 extra checks led to 202 more arrests.

That means a 20 per cent hike in the use of spot checks resulted in only an
eight per cent rise in the number of arrests.

The figures also reveal local officers use street search powers far more
than other comparable forces.

Essex police and Hertfordshire police had a combined total of 12,916 stops
in 2003, thousands fewer than Avon and Somerset alone, even though the Home
Office views the three areas as similar.

Stop and search powers have come under fire, with critics claiming they
give officers a free hand to harass the public. There are also concerns
that members of ethnic minorities are far more likely to be stopped than
whites.

However, these latest figures do not provide details on who was stopped and
Home Office minister Hazel Blears defended the police powers as "vital" in
the fight against crime.

She said: "The appropriate use of stop and search by the police is an
important tool in tackling crime.

"We need to focus on the quality of stop and searches rather than simply
the numbers.

"The use of these powers increased last year by 21 per cent and this
corresponds with an increase in arrests, indicating that there has been
good reason for their increased use.

"Improved guidelines were issued to police officers earlier this year to
ensure that stop and search powers are used in a targeted, intelligence-led
way, focusing on serious crime and prolific offenders."

The majority of searches by Avon and Somerset police were of suspected thieves.

More than 6,000 stops were of drug suspects and 1,193 suspects were thought
to be carrying an offensive weapon.