Asian men targeted in stop and search

The use of counter-terrorism stop and search powers has increased sevenfold since the July 7 attacks on Britain, with Asian people bearing the brunt of the increase. People of Asian appearance were five times more likely to be stopped and searched than white people, according to the latest figures compiled by British Transport police. None of the stops have resulted in a terrorism charge, the force said.

Azad Ali, chairman of the Muslim Safety Forum, said: “This does not look like intelligence-led stop and search. This is disproportionate on an unacceptable scale.” He said police should record whether those stopped were Muslim or not.

Guardian, 17 August 2005