The Community Confidence Board met to discuss key areas impacting public trust in South Yorkshire Police, focusing on stop and search, use of force, hate crime, and the Police Race Action Plan. Discussions highlighted disproportionality in police powers, efforts to improve community engagement and reporting, and the ongoing work to build a more representative and inclusive police force.

Stop and Search

Chief Superintendent Simon Wanless presented an overview of stop and search practices in South Yorkshire. While overall community support for the tactic is strong when used correctly, data from the year ending March 2026 showed that Black individuals were 3.1 times more likely to be stopped and searched than white individuals. However, the rate of positive outcomes following searches was found to be consistent across all ethnic groups, suggesting that ethnicity did not influence the likelihood of finding items of interest.

Significant improvements have been made in recording reasonable grounds for searches, with 92.4% of records now meeting suitability criteria, up from 76% previously. This improvement is attributed to enhanced training and a structured approach to recording grounds. An infographic detailing stop and search data is now published quarterly on the South Yorkshire Police website to improve public transparency.

Challenges remain, particularly in ensuring comprehensive supervisor sign-offs for all stop and search forms and in the consistent recording of self-defined ethnicity. A new initiative, Stop, Search, Safeguard, has been introduced to ensure that vulnerable children stopped and searched are identified and supported, with mandatory vulnerable child forms now required for all individuals under 18.

Use of Force

Chief Superintendent Simon Wanless also presented on the use of force by South Yorkshire Police. Data for the year ending March 2026 indicated that Black individuals were 2.1 times more likely to have force used against them compared to white individuals, based on the general population. However, when considering only those arrested, this disproportionality significantly reduced, suggesting that force is primarily used in the context of arrests rather than indiscriminately.

The force has seen a substantial increase in the recording of use of force incidents, with a 366% rise in submissions. This is largely due to improved recording practices, including the capture of compliant handcuffing. Body-worn video is used in 91.9% of incidents, with activation occurring in 87.6% of cases.

Feedback from scrutiny panels has highlighted the need for officers to improve their de-escalation skills, particularly after gaining compliance in confrontational situations. Plans are in place to enhance supervisor sign-offs and improve data recording accuracy, especially concerning self-defined ethnicity. A Vulnerable Child Form is now mandatory when force is used on a child, with data shared with Children's Social Care to identify wider vulnerabilities.

Hate Crime

Superintendent Shaz Wood provided an update on hate crime in South Yorkshire. Over the last 26 months, hate crime volumes have increased slightly, with a notable rise in online offences. While this could indicate increased reporting due to greater confidence, it may also reflect an under-reporting issue.

Race remains the most common strand of hate crime, accounting for 69% of all incidents, which is in line with the national average. Hate religion incidents have seen higher volumes in the fourth quarter, with Muslim victims constituting over 50% of hate religion crimes recorded in the county.

Progress has been made in raising awareness through Hate Crime Awareness Week and by appointing Hate Crime Coordinators in each district. Neighbourhood policing officers now investigate all hate crimes, ensuring a prompt response and problem-solving approach. A new hate crime training package is being developed, and an engagement strategy is being drafted to tackle under-reporting and build trust.

Challenges include addressing the disproportionality of young offenders (10-17 year olds) and improving the lower rate of positive action taken for female victims of hate crime, particularly Muslim women who are less likely to support prosecutions. The force is also reviewing its approach to non-crime hate incidents following national guidance changes.

Police Race Action Plan

Superintendent Shaz Wood presented on the progress of the Police Race Action Plan (PRAP), launched nationally in May 2022 to improve policing for Black and Black heritage people. South Yorkshire Police developed its own local plan, focusing on six key themes: building an anti-racist, inclusive, and informed workforce; increasing representation; proportionate use of police powers; improving relations and confidence within communities; supporting Black colleagues; and achieving justice and protecting victims.

Significant progress has been made, including delivering Inclusion Matters training to over 70% of the workforce, reviewing all training for embedded equality and inclusivity, and achieving an eight-year high in recruits from ethnic minority backgrounds. The Say to Stay initiative has been launched to support staff retention, and an app has been developed to record vehicle stops, improving data collection on disproportionality.

Challenges include aligning the local plan with the national Maturity Matrix, ensuring training and systems are consistently embedded, increasing representation in senior ranks, and improving Black communities' confidence to report crime. Next steps involve populating the force's annual assessment for publication, developing further training, embedding initiatives for attraction, recruitment, and retention, and widening community involvement.

During the discussion on the PRAP, Chief Constable Lauren Poultney addressed concerns about two-tier policing, stating that all data presented indicated this was not the case. She highlighted the prevalence of misinformation and disinformation, particularly on social media, and invited all communities, including white communities who feel marginalised, to engage in conversations to ensure opportunities are offered to everyone.

The meeting also included reports for information on the Performance Update and the Independent Ethics Panel Annual Report 2025/26. The Independent Ethics Panel noted good engagement from South Yorkshire Police but highlighted the need to strengthen recruitment from underrepresented communities, improve community cohesion work, and address disproportionality in vetting outcomes for Asian women. They also expressed a desire to deepen their work on digital policing and emerging technologies.