Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of youth scrutiny panels in improving trust and accountability in the use of stop and search powers; what data her Department has collected on changes in the level of disproportionality following the introduction of such panels; and whether she will publish comparative data across police force areas.

Stop and search is a vital tool for tackling crime, but it must be used fairly and effectively. Trust and accountability in its use are crucial, and the government recognises that youth scrutiny panels can play a positive role in strengthening confidence and transparency.

The Home Office does not collect national level data on how youth scrutiny panels affect disproportionality in stop and search.

However, the Department does publish significant data annually on ethnic disparity rates in stop and search. Black individuals remain 3.8 times more likely to be stopped and searched than White individuals. The government continues to consider a range of tools and approaches that could support further reductions in disproportionality, including the role of youth scrutiny panels.