Increase In Stop & Searches Continue

Mid Scotland and Fife MSP calls for the system to be transparent and accountable.

Stop and search numbers are up 209% in Perth and Kinross, 471% in Fife and 121% in Stirling. They are the first full year figures produced since the creation of Police Scotland.

In total, nearly 7000 Perthshire residents were subject to stop and search last year, 9967 in Fife and 2479 in Stirling. According to the figures, males in Perthshire now have a 1 in 11 chance of being stopped by the police.
 
The figure includes 218 under 15s who were stopped in Perthshire, 1334 in Fife and 308 in Stirling.
 
Mid-Scotland and Fife MSP Murdo Fraser:
 
"Stop and search is a valuable tool to detect and deter crime, but only if used proportionately and not abused.
 
"There are questions around the consistency of stop and searches and I am particularly concerned that hundreds of children are being stopped as well as men in Perthshire now having a 1 in 11 chance of being stopped by the police.
 
"Huge surges in those searched in Perth and Kinross, Fife and Stirling must be justified by the Police Force. A one-size-fits-all approach can’t and won’t work and Police Scotland should be alert to this.
 
"We want stop and search to remain a valuable tool to detect and deter crime, but to achieve this objective the process has to be transparent and accountable."