FOI 743/24 Pace Code A

Dear Sir/Madam

 

Enquiry Reference:  743- 24                                                                                           

 

I write in connection with regards to your Freedom of Information request.  Below is your request and our response.

 

I am writing to you under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to request the following information regarding 'more thorough searches’ and ‘more thorough searches involving exposure of intimate parts'. PACE Code A, referred to in my FOI application questions below, is found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pace-code-a-2023/pace-code-a-2023-accessible 

 

 

FOI APPLICATION 

 

Please provide information for each of the following periods, as specified in the tables in the Appendix: 1st April 2023 to 31st March 2024. For the sake of clarity, the below questions refer to pre-arrest searches, hence the references to PACE Code A, wherever the location of the search (on the street, in a police van, in the police station).   

In your police force area: 

 

1. What was the total number of stop and searches for all reasons, where a more thorough search occurred (sometimes referred to as a ‘partial strip search’) (PACE code A 2023, para. 3.6)? PACE Code A defines a ‘more thorough search’ at para. 3.6: “a more thorough search (e.g. by requiring a person to take off a T-shirt) [...] Any search involving the removal of more than an outer coat, jacket, gloves, headgear or footwear, or any other item concealing identity”. Please provide data sorted by (self-defined) ethnic group, gender, and age. Please provide this information by filling out the Question 1 table, which can be found in the Appendix.  

1. What was the total number of stop and searches for all reasons, where a more thorough search occurred (PACE code A 3.6) and it was a positive search? Please provide data sorted by (self-defined) ethnic group, gender, and age. Please provide this information by filling out the Question 2 table below, which can be found in the Appendix. 

 

1. What was the total number of stop and searches for all reasons, where a search involved exposure of intimate parts of the body (sometimes referred to as a ‘full strip search’) (PACE Code A 2023 3.7)? Please provide data sorted by (self-defined) ethnic group, gender, and age. Please provide this information by filling out the Question 3 table below, which can be found in the Appendix. 

 

1. What was the total number of stop and searches for all reasons, where a search involved exposure of intimate parts of the body (PACE Code A 3.7) and where it was a positive search? By positive search, we mean either “any outcome other than ‘no further action’” or “item found, either linked or unlinked to search reason”, depending on what definition is used in your database and is capable of being searched. If a different definition is used to the two provided here, please clarify what definition is being used when providing the data. Please provide data sorted by (self-defined) ethnic group, gender, and age. Please provide this information by filling out the Question 4 table below, which can be found in the Appendix. 

 

1. What was the total number of stop and searches for drugs (section 1 Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and section 23(2) Misuse of Drugs Act 1971), where a more thorough search occurred (PACE code A 3.6)? Please provide data sorted by (self-defined) ethnic group, gender, and age. Please provide this information by filling out the Question 5 table below, which can be found in the Appendix. 

 

1. What was the total number of stop and searches for drugs (section 1 Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and section 23(2) Misuse of Drugs Act 1971), where a more thorough search occurred (PACE code A 3.6) and where drugs were found? Please provide data sorted by (self-defined) ethnic group, gender, and age. Please provide this information by filling out the Question 6 table below, which can be found in the Appendix. 

 

1. What was the total number of stop and searches for drugs (section 1 Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and section 23(2) Misuse of Drugs Act 1971), where a search involved exposure of intimate parts of the body (PACE Code A 3.7)? Please provide data sorted by (self-defined) ethnic group, gender, and age. Please provide this information by filling out the Question 7 table below, which can be found in the Appendix. 

 

1. What was the total number of stop and searches for drugs (section 1 Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and section 23(2) Misuse of Drugs Act 1971), where a search involved exposure of intimate parts of the body (PACE Code A 3.7) and where drugs were found? Please provide data sorted by (self-defined) ethnic group, gender, and age. Please provide this information by filling out the Question 8 table below, which can be found in the Appendix. 

 

1. When providing the data to answer the above questions, please confirm whether the number of more thorough searches involving exposure of intimate parts is included in the total number of more thorough searches. For example, if there were 20 ‘more thorough searches’ in the year X and 8 ‘more thorough searches involving exposure of intimate parts’ in the same year X, please confirm whether those 8 MTSEIP have already been counted in the 20 MTS.  

Please fine below my response to questions 1-8 in the table format as requested. This is based on any stop and search incident where clothing has been removed, listed as a full-strip or partial-strip.

 

For question 9, I confirm that any search where the subject was exposed (intimate parts) a strip search was also listed on the search record. Therefore, the intimate part count is not separate and this is included in the strip search total. So, there were 113 searches where clothing was removed (either full-strip or partial- strip) in the 2023-24 financial year.

 

When referring to a positive search, this is  that an item has been found as a result of the stop search.  

 

 

Question 1:
Ethnicity	Total in the period 1st April 2023 – 31st March 2024
White	94
Black (or Black British)	1
Asian (or Asian British)	8
Other Ethnic Group	2
Mixed	0
Not stated / unknown	8
Gender	Total in the period 1st April 2023 – 31st March 2024
Female	11
Male	102
Other	0
Not stated / unknown	0
Age	Total in the period 1st April 2023 – 31st March 2024
Under 10	0
10 - 17	9
18 - 24	30
25 - 29	24
30 and over	50
Not stated / unknown	0
Question 2:
Ethnicity	Total in the period 1st April 2023 – 31st March 2024
White	29
Black (or Black British)	1
Asian (or Asian British)	4
Other Ethnic Group	2
Mixed	0
Not stated / unknown	2
Gender	Total in the period 1st April 2023 – 31st March 2024
Female	5
Male	33
Other	0
Not stated / unknown	0
Age	Total in the period 1st April 2023 – 31st March 2024
Under 10	0
10 - 17	5
18 - 24	7
25 - 29	8
30 and over	18
Not stated / unknown	0
Question 3:
Ethnicity	Total in the period 1st April 2023 – 31st March 2024
White	89
Black (or Black British)	1
Asian (or Asian British)	7
Other Ethnic Group	2
Mixed	0
Not stated / unknown	6
Gender	Total in the period 1st April 2023 – 31st March 2024
Female	7
Male	98
Other	0
Not stated / unknown	0
Age	Total in the period 1st April 2023 – 31st March 2024
Under 10	0
10 - 17	9
18 - 24	29
25 - 29	23
30 and over	44
Not stated / unknown	0
Question 4:
Ethnicity	Total in the period 1st April 2023 – 31st March 2024
White	28
Black (or Black British)	1
Asian (or Asian British)	4
Other Ethnic Group	2
Mixed	0
Not stated / unknown	1
Gender	Total in the period 1st April 2023 – 31st March 2024
Female	4
Male	32
Other	0
Not stated / unknown	0
Age	Total in the period 1st April 2023 – 31st March 2024
Under 10	0
10 - 17	5
18 - 24	7
25 - 29	7
30 and over	17
Not stated / unknown	0
Question 5
Ethnicity	Total in the period 1st April 2023 – 31st March 2024
White	88
Black (or Black British)	1
Asian (or Asian British)	8
Other Ethnic Group	2
Mixed	0
Not stated / unknown	8
Gender	Total in the period 1st April 2023 – 31st March 2024
Female	11
Male	96
Other	0
Not stated / unknown	0
Age	Total in the period 1st April 2023 – 31st March 2024
Under 10
10 - 17	0
18 - 24	29
25 - 29	22
30 and over	48
Not stated / unknown	0
Question 6:
Ethnicity	Total in the period 1st April 2023 – 31st March 2024
White	26
Black (or Black British)	1
Asian (or Asian British)	4
Other Ethnic Group	2
Mixed	0
Not stated / unknown	2
Gender	Total in the period 1st April 2023 – 31st March 2024
Female	5
Male	35
Other	0
Not stated / unknown	0
Age	Total in the period 1st April 2023 – 31st March 2024
Under 10	0
10 - 17	5
18 - 24	7
25 - 29	7
30 and over	16
Not stated / unknown	0
Question 7:
Ethnicity	Total in the period 1st April 2023 – 31st March 2024
White	83
Black (or Black British)	1
Asian (or Asian British)	7
Other Ethnic Group	2
Mixed	0
Not stated / unknown	6
Gender	Total in the period 1st April 2023 – 31st March 2024
Female	7
Male	92
Other	0
Not stated / unknown	0
Age	Total in the period 1st April 2023 – 31st March 2024
Under 10	0
10 - 17	8
18 - 24	28
25 - 29	21
30 and over	42
Not stated / unknown	0
Question 8:
Ethnicity	Total in the period 1st April 2023 – 31st March 2024
White	25
Black (or Black British)	1
Asian (or Asian British)	4
Other Ethnic Group	2
Mixed	0
Not stated / unknown	1
Gender	Total in the period 1st April 2023 – 31st March 2024
Female	4
Male	29
Other	0
Not stated / unknown	0
Age	Total in the period 1st April 2023 – 31st March 2024
Under 10	0
10 - 17	5
18 - 24	7
25 - 29	6
30 and over	15
Not stated / unknown	0

 

Please note that all statistical data supplied in relation to Freedom of Information requests is a snapshot of data held at the time the request was received by the Freedom of Information office and is subject to constant change/updates.

 

The Cleveland Police response to your request is unique and it should be noted that Police Forces do not use generic systems or identical procedures to capture and record data therefore responses from Cleveland Police should not be used as a comparison with any other force response you receive.

 

If you are not satisfied with this response or any actions taken in dealing with your request, you have the right to request an independent internal review of your case under our review procedure. The Freedom of Information Code of Practice (see below link) states that a request for internal review should be made within 20 working days of the date on this response or 40 working days if extenuating circumstances to account for the delay can be evidenced. Public authorities are not obliged to accept internal reviews after this date.

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/freedom-of-information-code-of-practice

 

 

Yours sincerely

 

Information Rights Decision Maker