LONDON - London's police force vowed on Thursday to reform its "stop and search" tactic which has seen far more Black people than others halted on streets and been criticized for enabling racism.

The Metropolitan Police, Britain's largest force, said the searches remained necessary to combat crime in the capital of nearly 9 million people but acknowledged they needed to be done more sensitively and published a charter for improvements.

Latest UK data going back to 2023 shows more than four times as many Black people than white are stopped by police around the nation, at nearly 25 per 1,000 each year, leading to accusations of discrimination by campaigners and community groups.

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"Done well, it (stop and search) stops those intent on causing death, injury and fear in our communities," said Met commissioner Mark Rowley. "Done badly, it has the potential to burn through trust with those we are here to protect."

His force is undergoing deep reforms after a catalogue of scandals in recent years and a 2023 review that found it had been racist, misgoynistic and homophobic. The review said street searches were a "humiliating and traumatic" experience for some.

Weapons seizures

Under their new "Stop and Search Charter", Met officers would implement the policy with improved professionalism, respect and training, alongside better complaints procedures and more consultation with communities.

While the tactic yielded 17,500 weapon seizures in the last four years in a city fighting a surge in knife crime, it had also unsettled Black communities, a Met statement said.

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"Communication and tone are important and the MPS (Met) will make sure that officers understand what it feels like to be searched, build relationships with the community and make sure that other officers step in if not done correctly," it said.

More than 8,500 Londoners were consulted for the charter and 80 young people led its final writing.