Information obtained by the London Liberal Democrats has revealed that the Mayor has failed to get the Metropolitan Police to undertake crucial research into stop and search – three years on from promising to do so.
In November 2020, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, published an Action Plan to improve trust and confidence in the Metropolitan Police Service – including research into stop and search using Body Worn Video (BWV) footage.
However, three years on and there has been no progress on the project – with information obtained by Lib Dem Mayoral Candidate, Rob Blackie, revealing there are “no current outcomes or timelines we can provide on the progression of the project”.
The Freedom of Information requests reveal that staff have failed to code data, attend key meetings or make any meaningful progress on the study.
Rob Blackie, Lib Dem candidate for London Mayor, said, “Sadiq Khan promised this study so that Londoners can properly understand how stop and search is being conducted in our city – but yet again it’s warm words and weak action from the Mayor.
“Black Londoners continue to be disproportionately targeted by stop and search. The experience can be traumatic, so we urgently need this review to rebuild trust in stop and search.
“I’ve been waiting for the outcome of this study for some time and I’m astonished to find out that he’s simply done nothing. Hundreds of thousands of people will have been subject to stop and searches in London in the time we’ve been waiting and we are still none the wiser about what’s going wrong.
“How can the Met Police learn how to be better when it’s not even bothering to review what’s gone wrong in the past? This is just another sign of a Mayor who is asleep on the job.
“The Mayor must get this study done and publish the results before the election.”
