Figures suggest relations between the police and the public are deteriorating in Wigan and across Greater Manchester

StopWatch UK said declining arrest rates across England and Wales suggest that relations between the police and the public are deteriorating.

Home Office data shows GM officers used stop and search powers 11,748 times in the year to March.

Of these, just nine per cent led to an arrest: below the national average.

Across England and Wales, the number of stop and searches rose from 577,000 in 2019-20 to 704,000 in 2020-21.

StopWatch UK said the vast majority of searches cause more problems than they solve.

Spokesman Habib Kadiri said a fall in arrest rates reflects fears that police-community relations are backsliding.

The figures also show that across England and Wales, black people were significantly more likely to be searched than white people, though slightly less so than the year before. In Greater Manchester, they were 3.9 times more likely to be stopped.

Mr Kadiri added: “What is exceptional is how racial disparities persisted even during a global pandemic, proving that the police never stopped working tirelessly to overpolice people of colour.

“We simply would not accept this of any other emergency service profession. The police must do better.”

Across the two nations, 479,000 (68 per cent of all stops) were for drugs – the highest proportion since records began in 2006-07. In GM, 60 per cent of stop and searches were for this reason.

The Home Office said police used extra officers and resources to tackle drug crime during the coronavirus lockdown, and also removed almost 16,000 dangerous weapons from our streets.

A spokesman added: “No one should be targeted for stop and search because of their race and there are extensive safeguards in place to prevent this.”

Thanks for reading. If you value what we do and are able to support us, a digital subscription is just £1 for your first month. Try us today by clicking here and viewing our offers.