Police in Wiltshire are taking steps to combat any accusations of racism. The moves began ahead of new Home Office figures showing black people rather than whites are increasingly the targets of stop and search moves by the police.
According to the report, in the 2002/03 administrative year, 56 black people were searched per 1,000 population in Wiltshire, making black people eight times more likely to be stopped. In the previous year, they were six times more likely to be stopped.
However, Superintendent Kevin Maidment of Wiltshire Police's community safety and criminal justice unit, said: "These figures refer to the period ending March 2003.
"We monitor our own performance and last year we had already identified disparities.
"To help us address this and identify any underlying causes, we established a multi-agency group including partners from the Wiltshire and Swindon Race Equality Councils.
"This group has conducted a full review and a Race Equality Impact Assessment, which can be seen on the force website.
"In addition, we are currently delivering community and race relations training to staff."
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