Published stop and search

Stop and search statistics

Published stop and search records from data.police.uk, summarised for the selected period and police force. This is a count of published records, not a judgement of whether searches were justified.

June 2015 to August 2026

75702
Stop and search records
12507
Searches with a recorded find
16.5%
Recorded find rate
1
Police forces in view
What this page shows and how these figures are calculated

What this page shows

This page summarises the stop and search records currently loaded into CrimeMapsUK for the selected time period and police-force filter.

Coverage period
June 2015 to August 2026
Months included
134
Police force filter
Hertfordshire
Latest loaded month
August 2026

A recorded find is derived from the published stop and search outcome labels held in this dataset. It does not show whether a search was justified, proportionate, or effective. Unless you change the filters, the default view is the latest loaded month.

Read the methodology. Related: How to use the dashboards, FAQ, What is a stop and search record?.

How these figures are calculated

Stop and search records
All loaded stop and search records in the selected time period and police-force filter.
Searches with a recorded find
Records marked by this dataset as having a find based on the published stop and search outcome.
Recorded find rate
The share of loaded stop and search records treated as a recorded find in this dataset. It does not show whether a search was justified.
Police forces in view
The number of police forces represented after the current filters are applied.

Filters

Choose a month range and optional police force. The page defaults to the latest loaded month.

Demographic breakdown

Age group distribution

View data table
Age group Records Searches with a recorded find Recorded find rate
10-17 14768 1795 12.2%
18-24 25180 4484 17.8%
25-34 16050 2962 18.5%
over 34 14444 2606 18.0%
Unknown 5217 655 12.6%
under 10 43 5 11.6%

Gender split

View data table
Gender Records Searches with a recorded find Recorded find rate
Other 4181 364 8.7%
Unknown 3111 655 21.1%
Male 59919 10237 17.1%
Female 8491 1251 14.7%
By police force

Recorded find rate by police force

View data table
Police force Records Searches with a recorded find Recorded find rate
Hertfordshire 75702 12507 16.5%
Search powers and legislation

Recorded find rate by search type

View data table
Search type Records Searches with a recorded find Recorded find rate
Vehicle search 2765 588 21.3%
Person and Vehicle search 21341 4368 20.5%
Person search 51596 7551 14.6%

Top legislation used

Chart labels use short legislation names; hover or open the table for the full wording.

View data table
Legislation Records Searches with a recorded find Recorded find rate
Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (section 23) 44889 7981 17.8%
Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (section 1) 30068 4465 14.8%
Firearms Act 1968 (section 47) 286 33 11.5%
Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 (section 60) 184 5 2.7%
Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 (s36(2)) 138 13 9.4%
Unknown 72 0 0.0%
Poaching Prevention Act 1862 (section 2) 35 6 17.1%
Hunting Act 2004 (section 8) 24 3 12.5%
Criminal Justice Act 1988 (section 139B) 2 0 0.0%
Protection of Badgers Act 1992 (section 11) 2 0 0.0%
Aviation Security Act 1982 (section 27(1)) 1 0 0.0%
Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (section 19) 1 1 100.0%
Legislation outcome tables

Drugs Act 1971 s.23

Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (section 23)

OutcomeCount
A no further action disposal 23592
Nothing found - no further action 7150
Arrest 4184
Community resolution 3532
Suspect arrested 1567

PACE 1984 s.1

Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (section 1)

OutcomeCount
A no further action disposal 17696
Nothing found - no further action 5121
Arrest 3798
Suspect arrested 1511
Community resolution 640

Firearms Act 1968 s.47

Firearms Act 1968 (section 47)

OutcomeCount
A no further action disposal 193
Nothing found - no further action 37
Arrest 29
Suspect arrested 14
Community resolution 5

CJPOA 1994 s.60

Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 (section 60)

OutcomeCount
A no further action disposal 97
Nothing found - no further action 76
Arrest 4
Offender given drugs possession wa… 2
Suspect arrested 2

Psychoactive Substances 2016…

Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 (s36(2))

OutcomeCount
A no further action disposal 113
Community resolution 12
Arrest 9
Khat or Cannabis warning 2
Summons / charged by post 2
Published outcomes

Outcome distribution

View data table
Published outcome Records
A no further action disposal 41727
Nothing found - no further action 12445
Arrest 8029
Community resolution 4192
Suspect arrested 3109
Offender given drugs possession warning 1485
Summons / charged by post 1090
Khat or Cannabis warning 988
Unknown 848
Suspect summonsed to court 588
Caution (simple or conditional) 359
Offender given penalty notice 345
Offender cautioned 247
Penalty Notice for Disorder 132
Local resolution 118

Search objects (top 10)

View data table
Search object Records Searches with a recorded find Recorded find rate
Controlled drugs 44889 7981 17.8%
Article for use in theft 14443 2483 17.2%
Offensive weapons 9580 1079 11.3%
Stolen goods 5219 841 16.1%
Articles for use in criminal damage 730 53 7.3%
Firearms 286 33 11.5%
Fireworks 208 12 5.8%
Psychoactive substances 139 13 9.4%
Unknown 70 0 0.0%
Anything to threaten or harm anyone 64 0 0.0%
Data quality statement: Data sourced from data.police.uk under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Outcome labels come from the published police data source and may change as records are updated. Find rates are descriptive summaries of the selected records and should not be treated as a direct measure of policing quality.