Stop and search: Six Met PCs disciplined after almost 5,000 complaints

Only six Met Police officers have been disciplined over the misuse of stop and search since 2014 - despite receiving almost 5,000 complaints.

Figure obtained by the Press Association shows 17 officers have faced disciplinary proceedings.

Of the six allegations that were proven, four officers received management advice, one a written warning and another a final warning.

Diane Abbott said the figures "showed a disappointing story".

The former shadow home secretary added: "Nothing has caused more antagonism between the community and the police than the misuse of stop and search.

"Obviously there is a role for stop and search, but the Met Police management need to take enforcing the rules around it much more seriously.

"This situation can only undermine community confidence in the Met Police at a very difficult time."

The Met said the disciplinary action figures, which were released under the Freedom of Information Act, only related to breaches of Code A of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (Pace) 1984 - which governs the statutory powers officers have to search a person or a vehicle without making an arrest first.

A breakdown of the 5,000 complaint allegations relating to stop and search showed 748 of them were recorded as a breach of Code A between 2014 and 2020, meaning fewer than 1% resulted in any disciplinary action.

Other allegations - such as rudeness, assault, oppressive behaviour or harassment and discriminatory behaviour - were recorded under a different allegation type.

The data also shows the number of complaints more than doubled from 786 in 2019 to 1,744 last year, with the number of searches carried out rising from 268,771 to 319,713 in the same period.

Cdr Jane Connors, Met lead for stop and search, said the force welcomed scrutiny and "drive for continual improvement".

"We understand the impact that even a thoroughly professional encounter can have on an individual stopped and searched, and that its impact can resonate more widely with communities.

"We want to work with our communities to increase their trust and confidence in their policing service."

Campaign group StopWatch said the police complaints system was "not fit for purpose".

"It essentially requires individuals asking a force to police itself using procedures opaque to the public, so it comes as no surprise that those who need answers most from their negative stop-and-search experiences are least likely to access the system, and so there is little faith that injustices will be rectified," it said.

"Worse still, the sheer volume of complaints tell us that too many police officers in London who conduct stop and searches cannot be trusted to do so properly."

The figures come after the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) watchdog last year made 11 recommendations for the Met to improve its use of stop-and-search powers.

A review of cases found the "legitimacy of stop and searches was being undermined" by a number of issues, including a lack of understanding about the impact of disproportionality and poor communication.