Cleveland and Northumbria police 'require improvement' in use of stop and search

As many as one in seven stop and searches carried out by police in a year may have been unlawful, a new report indicates.

The police watchdog Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) examined 100 stop and search records in each of the 43 police forces in England and Wales in the 12 months up to March 2015.

The Legitimacy inspection examined forces on whether they operate fairly, ethically and within the law, how they engage with their communities and their use of stop and search and tasers.

Thirty seven police forces were graded as 'good', and one police force, Kent Police, achieved an 'outstanding' grade.

They found that some 15% did not have reasonable grounds recorded, as required by law.

Cleveland and Northumbria Police are two of the five forces which were graded as 'requires improvement'.

In Cleveland Police force almost two-thirds of the records assessed did not have reasonable grounds recorded.

The majority of police forces in England and Wales were found to be treating people fairly and ethically.

However, HMIC found that this was a mixed picture overall when the use of stop and search and the way black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) officers and staff were treated in disciplinary matters were taken into account.