Black and Asian people are still more likely to be stopped and searched by police in Greater Manchester

Black and Asian people are still more likely to be stopped and searched by police in Greater Manchester, a new report says.

Discussing the latest figures, a top cop told a meeting: "The public is asking us to do it. It starts and ends with community intelligence. People have asked us to do this loud and clear to protect their families and we are doing that respectfully, lawfully, and professionally."

Black people are nearly two-and-a-half times more likely to be stopped and searched than white people in the region - 2.4 now compared to 2.1 in 2023. The UK average is 4.1. Bosses in our region highlight the fact the figure has fallen in the last three years.

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Asian people are 1.4 times more likely to be stopped and searched. The figures have been published after GMP launched a huge push on the use of stop-and-search across the board, climbing by 73 per cent from 2022 to 2023.

Although data for 2023 to 2024 is not fully available, chiefs believe the practice is becoming increasingly more prevalent, albeit at a slower pace, with the difference in the number of 'stop and search encounters' from April 2023 to the same month this year representing an 18pc rise.

What is largely unchanged is the rate of 'positive outcomes' from the 'encounters', with just over one in five (21pc) resulting in an arrest; warning; or summons being issued, among other options to deal with suspects.

The data came to light at a Police, Fire, and Crime Panel meeting held by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA). Speaking at the meeting on Tuesday (June 11), Deputy Chief Constable Terry Woods: "We do do extensive dip-sampling. There’s an expectation