Stop and search data

Request data on police stop and search activity by area, reason, and outcome.

Police Scotland records every stop and search carried out by officers. The numbers show how often the power is used, where, and whether it is leading to results.

Dear [AUTHORITY NAME], Please provide the following information for [FINANCIAL YEAR e.g. 2024-25]: 1. The total number of stop and searches carried out. 2. A breakdown of stop and searches by the reason or legislation used. 3. The number of stop and searches that resulted in an item being found (the positive rate). 4. A breakdown of stop and search activity by local policing division. I would prefer to receive this as a spreadsheet or CSV if possible. Yours faithfully, [YOUR NAME]
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Who to send it to#

Police Scotland. You can submit your request to their information management team.

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Tips#

  • Police Scotland publishes quarterly stop and search data on its website. Check what is already available before submitting your request.
  • The positive rate (item 3) is a useful measure of whether stop and search is being used proportionately. A very low positive rate may indicate that the power is being used too broadly.
  • If you want data for your local area, name the division or local authority area in the request.
  • Scotland reformed its stop and search practices following the 2015 Advisory Group report. Consensual (voluntary) searches ended in May 2017, so all searches since then are statutory - a statutory/voluntary breakdown is only worth requesting for earlier periods. You can compare current figures with historical data to see whether the reforms have changed practice.