Police in West Yorkshire are nearly three times more likely to use force against black people than white people, according to the newest data released by the Home Office.
The murder of George Floyd in the US and the resulting Black Lives Matter protests have been supported by action in the UK, with people raising concerns that black people in the UK are also discriminated against by police.
In an article calling on the Government to learn lessons from the response to George Floyd’s death, MP Diane Abbott said British observers should not console themselves that the same couldn’t happen here, adding: “Black people suffer disproportionately from the police use of force”.
In response, a spokesperson for West Yorkshire Police said: "We note and understand the concerns the figures regarding use of force and people who identify as black.
"Such concerns are understandably heightened at the present time but we do and will continue to always tackle bias, racism or discrimination wherever we find it."
The statistics
According to the data, West Yorkshire Police used force tactics 21,405 times in a period over the course of 2018 and 2019.
These include tactics such as handcuffing, use of batons, irritant sprays, tasers and firearms, and other restraints.
Of that total, 16,654 tactics were used against people police perceived to be white, and 1,210 were against people perceived as black.
Based on the local population, that was a rate of 90 tactics used per 10,000 white people, and 238 per 10,000 black people - 2.6 times higher.
Police in West Yorkshire were 3.6 times more likely to use tasers against black people and 2.6 times more likely to use equipment such as batons, irritant spray, spit guards and shields.
The factors that impact police decisions to use force also appear to be different depending on perceived ethnicity.
The most common factors when dealing with white people was alcohol, which was involved in 44.7 per cent of incidents.
However, the most commonly cited impact factor in incidents involving people perceived to be black was size, gender, or build in 42.1 per cent of incidents.
That compared to it being a factor in 32.9 per cent of incidents involving white people.
Police officers were also slightly more likely to say they used force to protect themselves in incidents involving black people (in 84 per cent of incidents) than with white people (80.9 per cent).
The figures suggest in the 865 incidents where an officer reported an injury, incidents involving those perceived as black were more likely to result in staff injury - 6.6 per cent of incidents compared to six per cent of incidents involving those who were white.
However, those injuries were less likely to be received as the result of an intentional assault.
In incidents where the person was black, 44.8 per cent of injuries were from assaults, compared to 50.2 per cent in incidents involving White people.
The national figures
Across England and Wales, police used force tactics 630,793 times in 2018/19.
The data found forces across the two countries were five times more likely to use these tactics against black people (479 uses per 10,000) than white people (90 per 10,000).
It also concluded that firearms are 12.2 times more likely to be used against black people, with tasers 7.6 times more likely to be used and batons 8.2 times more likely to be used.
Rebecca Hilsenrath, Chief Executive at the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said: “These figures are extremely worrying and need to be answered.
“We appreciate the need for effective policing to ensure safe communities. But we know that both adults and children from some ethnic minorities experience disproportionate levels of force by police – sometimes with very serious consequences.
“We have continuously called on police forces, the Home Office and Police and Crime Commissioners to not only retain but also build on protections designed to promote fair and equal policing. More must be done now to understand and address unequal treatment, and tackle the root causes of racial inequality across the criminal justice system.
“We have also repeatedly called for a comprehensive race equality strategy. We need the government to take urgent action so that ethnic minorities do not continue to suffer unfair treatment or punishment.”
Generally, the most common impact factors are alcohol and drugs.However, the most common one for incidents involving black people is size, gender and build, which was cited in 38.3 per cent of incidents, compared to 29.3 per cent overall and 28.5 per cent for white people.
Police are more likely to say they used force to protect themselves, the public or other officers in incidents involving black people than those involving white people.
However, officers are slightly more likely to be injured in incidents involving white people than black people, and more likely to have received that injury as the result of intentional assault in incidents involving white people.
An incident is logged for each time an officer uses force against an individual, so if there is an occasion where several officers and/or several subjects are involved then multiple reports may be filed.
The figures came from the Home Office, with additional information released following a Freedom of Information request.
