FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST REFERENCE NO: 11375

I write in connection with your request for information which was received on 7^th March 2019. Please find below the response to your request:

Under the Freedom of Information Act I request the following information:

· In each of the following financial years, how many times has the force used 'stop and search' powers: 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18, 2018/19 up to and including March 7th, 2019 (NOTE: Please make sure the figures are provided separately for each year)

· As well as providing West Mercia-wide figures, please also provide separate figures for 'just Herefordshire', and 'just Worcestershire', for each financial year

· Please specify, in each year, how many people were arrested after being stopped and searched, and the most common reason why those arrests took place

Reply:

Please see attached table.

Please note that from 1st June 2016 the method of recording stop search arrests was changed and outcomes with reasons of arrest were only introduced in the stop search database from this period. Therefore, arrests for 2016/17 are based on the stop search date from the 01/04/2016 to the 31/05/2016 and outcomes for 2016/17 are based on the stop search date from the 01/06/2016 to the 31/05/2017.

Please be advised that this information is dynamic and can change due to the identification of incorrect records/duplicates and their removal.