Police reveal disproportionate stop and search rate

Sussex Police carried out nearly 5,700 stop and searches over 12 months

Black people are 8.8 times more likely to be stopped and searched by Sussex Police.

The figures were shared by Deputy Chief Constable Dave McLaren during a meeting with Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne.

Mr McLaren said there was "a lot of work going on in the background" to address the issue.

He added Sussex Police was "fully committed to understanding exactly why we have that disproportionality and to do everything that’s within our powers to make sure that we reduce or eradicate that".

Mr McLaren said a raft of scrutiny and training procedures were in place to ensure stop and search powers were used in a fair, lawful and proportionate manner and that no bias or prejudice was shown.

He said: “This is quite an intrusive power that we have and it’s important we’re using it appropriately.”