Police abuse stop and search powers to target protesters, suggests data

Exclusive: Big Brother Watch analysis shows use of tactic rose 20.5% in London on weekends when demonstrations happened

Stop and searches in central London increase by more than a fifth on weekends when protests take place, according to civil liberties campaigners who say police are misusing the tactic to deliberately target demonstrators.

Except in special circumstances, stop and search can be used only for a handful of specific reasons, mostly covering drugs, weapons and stolen goods, suggesting, according to activists, that police are stretching the limits of their powers.