Police officers must record the stops they carry out on motorists amid fears they are unfairly targeting ethnic drivers, a watchdog has said. Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) made the recommendation after finding that black and minority ethnic motorists were disproportionately affected by vehicle stops. Forces are currently not required to make official records of vehicle stops. But a survey by the police watchdog found 7-8 per cent of white drivers were stopped in the last two years, compared to up to 14 per cent of black drivers. HMIC has recommended that all vehicle stops are officially recorded. Police are not currently required to do so but the watchdog found 7-8 per cent of white drivers were stopped in the last two years, compared to up to 14 per cent of black drivers . But white drivers were more likely to be arrested, given a fixed penalty notice, be summonsed or prosecuted – suggesting ethnic motorists were ‘more likely to be stopped for no reason’, the report found. Police made no attempt to assess if they were using their powers fairly, it said. Police forces have also made ‘disappointingly slow progress’ in improving their use of stop and search powers, said HMIC. Government inspectors warned in 2013 that more than a quarter of police stop and searches were unlawful – equivalent to 250,000 of the one million people every year being subjected to searches which did not stick to the rules. Legally nobody should be stopped unless there is 'reasonable suspicion' they are guilty of carrying drugs, weapons or intending to commit a crime. But the latest HMIC report said good progress had been made on only one of 10 recommendations inspectors made in 2013 - the use of technology to record stop and search encounters between the police and a suspect. HMIC Chief Stephen Otter said: ‘Too many police leaders and officers still don't seem to understand the impact that the use of powers to stop and search people can have on the lives of many people, especially young people and those who are from black and minority ethnic backgrounds. ‘This is disappointing because getting it wrong can lead to resentment, anger and, in time, a loss of trust in the police.’ He said fury about unfair and disproportionate stop and searches was ‘one trigger for major disorder’. Mr Otter said police forces might be falling short because they were made up overwhelmingly of white officers. ‘If you are a black officer it might be easier to empathise because it might have happened to you; it is much less likely to happen if you are white,’ he said. ‘Is it active discrimination? Is it racial profiling? There's a lot of research that suggests that's the case.’ A survey of more than 12,000 police officers found more than a third of police officers felt under pressure to carry out fewer stop and searches . He said that despite nearly two decades elapsing since the publication of the McPherson Report, which labelled the police ‘institutionally racist’ over the murder of London student Stephen Lawrence in an attack in 1993, officers were not using stop and search ‘effectively and fairly after all this time’. He said it was ‘difficult to look’ Stephen’s mother Doreen Lawrence, made a Life Peer in 2013, ‘in the face because of the lack of progress that has been made in this area when it is pretty clear much more needs to be done.’ HMIC Chief Stephen Otter said: ‘Too many police leaders and officers still don't seem to understand the impact that the use of powers to stop and search' A survey of more than 12,000 police officers found that more than a third felt under pressure to carry out fewer stop and searches, while a quarter said they were under pressure to stop using the power entirely. The study also found that a ‘small minority’ of officers were arresting people in order to search them so they avoided the ‘increased scrutiny’ of stop and search powers, HMIC said. The watchdog also found in their inspection a ‘surprising lack of interest’ among senior police officers about the way strip-searches are carried out, in particular on children as young as 12 and other vulnerable people. The lack of official records means it is not clear whether the way these powers are used by the police is ‘lawful, necessary and appropriate’. Chief Superintendent Gavin Thomas, vice-president of the Police Superintendents’ Association of England and Wales, said: ‘Stop and search is an important part of policing. It helps catch criminals, protect people from harm and provide reassurance to communities who are blighted by crime. But it is a power that must be used responsibly if we are to keep the confidence of the communities in which it is being used.’ The Home Office launched a best use of stop and search scheme last year, which was part of a range of measures aimed at slashing the overall use of the controversial practice.
HMIC makes recommendation after finding minorities overly affected . 7-8 per cent of white drivers stopped versus 14 per cent of black drivers . Inspectors warn not enough progress made on 2013 recommendations . Police told they may be falling short as force is overwhelmingly white .