CUMBRIA Constabulary carried out 3,748 stop and searches in the first six months of 2026 with more than seven in 10 resulting in no further action, according to Police UK data.
Figures for January to June show 2,635 searches — 70.3% of the total — ended without further action. Police action was taken in 871 cases, or 23.24%, while the outcome was not collected in 242 incidents.
The highest monthly total was recorded in May when officers conducted 670 searches. April saw 622 searches, followed by 655 in March, 590 in January, 553 in February and 582 in June.
Police action was taken in 123 cases in January, rising to 167 in May before falling slightly to 161 in June. The number of searches ending in no further action ranged from 385 in June to 488 in March.
Arrest (617) was the most common recorded police outcome, accounting for 16.46% of all searches. Community resolutions (215) made up 5.74%, while 0.85% resulted in a summons or charge by post (32) and 0.19% ended in a caution (7).
Controlled drugs were by far the most common object searched for, accounting for 74.28% of all stop and searches carried out during the six-month period.
Articles believed to be for use in theft were the stated reason in 10.43% of cases, while offensive weapons accounted for 8.91%. In 5.76% of searches, the object was not collected.
Other recorded reasons included fireworks, wildlife-offence evidence, game or poaching equipment, and goods on which duty had not been paid.
In 1,953 cases — 52.11% of the total — the outcome was linked to the purpose of the search. The outcome was not linked to the stated purpose in 1,795 cases, or 47.89%.
The figures show outcomes and the purpose of searches are not necessarily the same: an officer may have grounds to search for a particular item, but find nothing or identify a different issue.
White people accounted for 2,838 recorded searches, equivalent to 5.667 searches per 1,000 residents using 2011 Census population data. Within that grouping, 2,692 searches involved people recorded as White British.
The data also records higher rates per 1,000 residents for some smaller ethnic groups. For example, the rate was 38.792 per 1,000 for Asian or Asian British people and 110.535 per 1,000 for Black or Black British people.
However, these rates are based on relatively small population counts and 2011 Census data. In 550 searches, ethnicity was recorded as not stated, while it was not collected in a further 108 cases.
The statistics cover searches by Cumbria Constabulary from January to June 2026. British Transport Police searches on railways in the county are recorded separately.
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