Metropolitan Police carried out 3,673 stop-and-searches in the London Borough of Ealing in 2023, according to a major study examining how the police power is used across the capital.
The figures appear in research commissioned by the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime and based on data from the Met. In total, the report recorded 117,339 searches across London in 2023.
The borough-level data shows Ealing recorded fewer searches than some neighbouring areas, including Brent with 4,622 searches, but more than Hounslow with 2,223 and Hillingdon with 2,737. The highest number in the table was recorded in City of Westminster, where police carried out 9,593 stops, while the lowest was in Richmond upon Thames with 748.
The report also examined differences in stop-and-search rates between ethnic groups. In Ealing, Asian residents were stopped and searched at 1.8 times the rate of White residents, according to the borough-level data.
Alongside the operational figures, the research included polling on public attitudes towards the tactic. In Ealing, 80% of residents said police should use stop and search, while 58% believed it is used fairly.
Across London, the study also highlighted significant disparities at ward level.
The report found: “In some wards Black residents are many times more likely to be stopped and searched than White residents.”
Examples identified in the research include East Sheen in Richmond upon Thames, where Black residents were 48 times more likely to be stopped and searched than White residents. In Dulwich Village in Southwark the disparity was 40 times, while in Hampstead Town in Camden it was 38 times.
Researchers identified 24 wards across London where disproportionality was particularly high, with around 60 wards showing disparities of at least 10 times.
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said: “This major new research shows significant and unacceptable levels of disproportionality that we must act on. That’s why, along with the other steps to support and hold the Met to account, I am introducing a mandatory annual report of how stop and search is being used in London.
“We have to get the use of this power right in London, as lives and community confidence depend on it.”
Responding to the findings, a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police Service said: “More than seven in 10 Londoners support stop and search which, when used with precision and accuracy, is one of the most effective tools we have to deter violence and save lives.”
