BLACK people are more than ten times more likely to be stopped and searched than white people.

That is according to new Government data on the controversial police power.

According to the figures, 3.5 white people in every 1,000 have been stopped by Sussex Police in the year from March 31 2018 to the same date this year.

That is compared with 38 in every 1,000 black people.

Lloyd Russell-Moyle, Labour MP for Brighton Kemptown, said stop and search powers were useful but need to be used “carefully”.

He said: “If people feel like the powers are being used in a profiling way, it is at risk of destroying community relations.

“The best way of stopping crimes is to prevent them from happening – you have to be tough on the causes of crime.”

In total, 4,586 white people were stopped in Sussex over the year.

Of those stops, one in 7.6 was arrested.

That compared with 614 black people over the same period.

Of those, one in 4.2 was arrested.

Also stopped were 291 Asian people, 76 Chinese, 188 “mixed” and 467 where the ethnicity was not stated.

A Sussex Police spokesman said: “The figures reflect the numbers stopped in Sussex, not necessarily those who come from the county and these figures can be affected by a number of factors.

“We constantly assess the legitimate use of our stop and search powers.

“We seek to ensure that every stop and search is justified and likely to have a positive outcome in reducing crime.

“Our Rewind campaign, aimed at younger people and designed by a local college, is promoted and available on the Sussex Police website.”