Fair cops praised over race

Dr Ruth Henig said the force was working hard to make sure ethnic minorities were not targeted by officers without reason.

Her comments came after she called on chief constables across the country to explain why black people are far more likely than white people to be stopped and searched.

Dr Henig, speaking in her role as chairman of the Association of Police Authorities, said it was vital to find out if the higher figures were due to racism in the police and, if so, to stamp it out.

Dr Henig said all police authorities should ask chief constables to explain why black people were four times more likely to be arrested, five times more likely to be stopped and searched, more likely to be victims of crime and more likely to complain to the police. The Government's yearly report Statistics on Race and the Criminal Justice System show that black people nationally are four times more likely to be arrested than white or other ethnic groups, and that racist incidents recorded by the police rose by 107 per cent between 1998/99 and 1999/00.

But in Lancashire, figures for April to December last year show per thousand population nine per cent of whites were stopped by police compared to 13 per cent of ethnic minorities. Of these, 13 per cent of whites were arrested and 16 per cent of ethnic minorities.

Dr Henig said: "We are not complacent as a police authority, but in Lancashire the situation is reasonable. We monitor the figures fairly closely and they would suggest that the force is nearing equality.

"The force are taking a lot of steps to make sure ethnic minorities are not targeted and that officers are polite and make sure people know their rights when they are stopped."

One measure used by Lancashire Police includes issuing those who are stopped with a card explaining their rights in several languages.

Dr Henig: "This is an opportunity for the APA to take a strong lead on the issue of stop and search."