Data Democracy
Our Approach in Practice
Data Carpentry
Our data carpentry work is exemplified in our response to the data landscape surrounding stop and search practices across the UK. We combined geographic data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) with stop-and-search data obtained through the Police Application Programming Interface (API). The result is a comprehensive dataset encompassing approximately 1.5 million stops over a rolling three-year period. The geographic coordinates mean that the dataset can be presented from hyper-local to regional levels. It has been designed intuitive format accessible to people who have been stopped and searched, as well as public system leaders.
Collective Sense-Making
The stop and search data was developed in partnership with Black community groups in London and Birmingham. It involved multiple gatherings with Black people in the two cities. The process has three stages. First, we ask people to interpret the data, to tell us what it means, what are the patterns, and why they occur. Second, we ask residents to identify the underlying causes of injustice and to prioritise what they see as the important levers for system change. Third, Black-led organisations work with public systems to test those levers for change and address racial injustice.
In our work in Birmingham, community members identified that a large proportion of stop and search was carried out on young people just after school hours. We hadn’t previously considered the relationship between school locations, age and time of day. In a follow-up analysis, the data robustly supported the community hypotheses.
Data Liberation
To further democratise the data, we put a suite of analysis tools, including an R package, into the public domain. We also produce user-friendly dashboards accessible to a broad audience, not just researchers. These tools, for example, enable the mapping of stop-and-search hotspots within local areas, empowering communities across the UK with the information they need to advocate for change..
Primary Research
The enriched stop-and-search data provided a platform to explore the impact of racial injustice on the mental health of young Black people. We have linked the stop-and-search dataset with data from the longitudinal household survey Understanding Society. Our research shows a significant correlation between stop and search rates and Black psychological distress not observed among their White peers. This research highlights the profound and disproportionate effects of stop-and-search practices on Black communities.
The following visualisation illustrates how geo-coded stop-and-search data can be used to uncover patterns within and between different areas. By linking this data with other geography-based outcomes, such as psychological distress, we can gain a deeper understanding of the broader impacts of these practices. These data are currently not available in an easily comprehensible format elsewhere, including to our knowledge, through police forces.
