Alliance Policing Board member John Blair MLA has requested a report from police after figures suggested a disproportionate number of people from black, Asian and minority ethnic minority backgrounds had been stopped and searched by the PSNI.

Recently compiled statistics showed 25,021 people were subject to stop and search by PSNI in the past year, with 1,026 – or 4.1 per cent – being of those from minority backgrounds, despite people from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds only accounting for 1.8 per cent of the entire Northern Ireland population.

“I welcome the fact the Chief Constable brought a report today to the Policing Board on a range of pressing policing matters, including on the work of the Community Relations Task Force,” said South Antrim MLA Mr Blair.

“However, the recent figures have raised some concern relating to the delivery of impartial policing, which require immediate attention. I have therefore asked the Chief Constable and senior PSNI management team to look closely at them, and report back to the Policing Board in terms of work being done to address this disparity.

“The Chief Constable has encouraged more scrutiny and discussion of this, and it is my intention to seek an update as soon as possible so we can work out what can be done to address it.”