We may have been in lock down or else staying indoors more often for a large chunk of 2020 but it didn’t stop thousands of people being stopped and searched by police across Thames Valley last year.
Official figures from Thames Valley police show more than 19,000 people were stopped and searched during 2020 – a rate of 828 per 100,000 people.
That was a 45% increase in comparison to 2019’s figures.
The figures reveal the objects police were looking for – from drugs to weapons to stolen goods – but not what they actually found, although they do tell us how many searches led to an arrest.
So what do we know about stop and search in Thames Valley?
Here we reveal everything you need to know.
. Police in hi-visibility jackets policing crowd control at a UK event
Thames Valley police used stop and search on thousands of people during lockdown last year – here’s who they stopped and why Photo: Photo: Shutterstock
. Searches
19,685 people were subject to a search of their person in 2020. Photo: (Photo: Shutterstock)
1. Searches
19,685 people were subject to a search of their person in 2020. Photo: (Photo: Shutterstock)
3. People and vehicle
18,663 people and their vehicles were searched. Photo: Photo: Shutterstock
4. Men
Men were most likely to be stopped and searched. They made up 90% of recorded incidents. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images) Photo: (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)