Stop-and-search figures are 'worrying', says Labour Shadow Equalities Minister
27 October 2020, 16:18 | Updated: 27 October 2020, 16:21
Shadow Equalities Minister on "worrying" stop-and-search figures
The latest Home Office figures on stop-and-search are "worrying", Shadow Equalities Minister Marsha de Cordova has told LBC.
The official figures have shown black people are nearly nine times more likely to face stop-and-search by police than white people.
The Metropolitan Police alone accounts for half the total increase in stops and searches in 2019-20, while large rises were also seen in Merseyside, Essex and South Yorkshire.
Speaking to LBC's Shelagh Fogarty, the Labour MP said: "It's worrying to see that the disproportionate numbers are continuing to rise.
Caller Tells David Lammy: You've Not Experienced Racism
"One of the things that Labour is clear on is that stop-and-search really has to be intelligence-led and it has got to be carried out with much transparency and also with professionalism.
"But what we obviously are seeing now with today's figures is there's still an element of disproportionality that really needs to be addressed..."
When asked by Shelagh if structural racism had played its part, the Shadow Equalities Minister said: "Structural racism certainly does play a part and [it] has played a part in all aspects of society for a long periods of time..."
Natasha Devon and Femi Oluwole on critical race theory ban
The Labour MP went on to say "certain groups are being disproportionately impacted" by inequalities when it comes to housing, healthcare and accessing information and advice.
She also made reference to a review by Baroness Doreen Lawrence which found that decades of structural discrimination led to the disproportionate impact of the coronavirus pandemic on black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.
