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  • South Wales Police admit they have a problem with using force disproportionately against people of colour.

  • Black people in Wales account for almost 1 in 10 instances of firearms used by cops on the public yet make up only 0.6% of the population.

  • New stats from Cardiff University show the massive disparity between the treatment of Black and Asian people with forceful tactics as compared to White people. 

By Mark S Redfern, Cover image by Tom Davies

People of colour in Wales are significantly more likely to have force used against them by cops, new statistics unearthed by Cardiff University reveal.

Black and Asian people were disproportionately subject to forceful tactics in comparison to their White counterparts. Restraint, firearms, and “less lethal weapons” are among the tools used by Welsh cops in confrontations with members of the public. 

The figures were obtained via the Freedom of Information Act and collated by Dr Rob Jones, a criminologist and lecturer at Cardiff University’s Wales Governance Centre and passed on to voice.wales. It follows recent revelations on the increased rate of Black and Asian people being subject to police stop and search procedures.

According to the research given by the Home Office, Black and Asian people make up only a small percentage of the population in Wales, 0.6% and 1.8% respectively, but the new figures show police demonstrate a much more heavy handed approach to ethnic minorities across nearly all categories.

One of the most shocking aspects to the data is the extraordinary rate at which police officers are using firearms to suppress Black members of the public.

Black people were subject to nearly 8% of the total instances for use of force involving a firearm, despite black people only numbering just over half-of-one-percent of the total population of Wales.

Asian people were also disproportionately threatened with firearms by Welsh cops, with guns being used against people of Asian descent for 5.1% of all instances but only accounting for just under 2% of the population.

Figures for use of force by Cardiff University are divided between White, Black (or Black British), Asian (or Asian British), Mixed, Other and a smaller number of people for which race was undefined.

The statistics ultimately show that on average Black people in Wales are more likely to be subject to violence inflicted by cops, a truth that has long been known by Black communities across the country.

These shocking figures also back up claims of overt police brutality towards people of colour   made by anti-racist protestors in the wake of the deaths of Mohamud Hassan in Roath, Cardiff and Mouayed Bashir in Pillgwenlly, Newport.

A spokesperson for Black Lives Matter Cardiff and Vale told voice.wales: “The statistics are yet more evidence of the racist nature of British policing.”

“The fact that Black and Asian people are at the sharp end of police mistreatment and brutality should come as a surprise to no one. From the war on drugs to the war on terror, the state has enabled great surveillance and exploitation on ethnic minorities, especially by the police.”

The use of so-called “less lethal weapons”, truncheons and pepper-sprays among other weaponry, were also used by cops more on Welsh black people more than any other stated ethnicity.

Mark Travis, Assistant Chief Constable of South Wales Police, addressed the use of force statistics directly when they were put to him: “We fully understand and welcome the scrutiny regarding the use of force, especially on those people who identify themselves as being black.”

“There is robust and comprehensive internal scrutiny of the use of force within South Wales Police. A joint legitimacy board, including independent members, also monitors and scrutinises our uses of force and helps hold South Wales Police to account.”

“The work we have undertaken is already having a positive impact on our disproportionality rates but it is a fact that the use of powers does affect members of black and minority ethnic communities disproportionately. However, we will continue to work hard to understand this and to find further meaningful and effective ways of addressing it.”

Travis added that SWP cops are trained to use their powers “proportionally, lawfully and only where necessary.” 

Part of the SWP practice of holding their cops to account also includes body-worn video, said Travis. During the alleged brutality against Mohamud Hassan in Roath, Cardiff, cameras worn by officers were examined by the police watchdog but the force has continued to refuse Mohamud’s family and their legal team access to the recordings.

More data released by Cardiff University in early March also shines a light on the disproportional use of stop and search against ethnic minorities in Wales.

People from Black and Asian backgrounds were again overrepresented in stop and search numbers. Nearly ten percent of all stop and search instances across all four Welsh police forces were people of colour.

The new figures from the Home Office also include data on the reasons given by officers for searches carried out. Stats were collected for reasons given by age and by gender, but figures were not given for the reasons for a search and how it might relate to the ethnicity of a member of the public.

In 2020/21 the gap in the rate of stop and search incidents between Black and White people was wider in Wales (8 to 56) than it was in England (7 to 51).

Nation Cymru reported at the time that of every 1,000 people living in Wales “eight white people… were stopped and searched, 56 black people, 16 asian people” and 28 of mixed ethnic background.

Gwent Police Superintendent Mike Richards said:  “There are times when we may see an increase in the use of [stop and search] powers during targeted enforcement operations, such as Operation Sceptre, which aims to remove dangerous weapons from our communities and reduce knife crime.”

The statement given to voice.wales by Gwent Police avoided mention of the damning “use of force” statistics.

A spokesperson for Dyfed Powys Police said: “The force is committed to ensuring that policing powers, including the use of force and the power to stop and search people, is always used fairly.” 

“To this end, the use of force is heavily scrutinised internally and all searches conducted on those who identify themselves as from our Black, Asian and Asian communities are audited. In addition, we utilise external scrutiny panels to examine how we use these policing powers.”

A Home Office spokesperson said: “Our police officers put themselves in harm’s way to keep us safe and they must be equipped with the resources, tools and powers necessary to protect themselves and the public.

North Wales Police did not respond to our request for comment.

Black Lives Matter Cardiff and Vale continued: “There is no road to freedom and liberation for ethnic minorities that includes the police, Wales should be a region that knows more than most. From the Cardiff Three, to Siyanda Mngaza, to Christopher Kapessa and to Mohamud and Mouayed, the system was built to oppress us.”