If you are stopped and searched, the police must offer you a receipt straightaway allowing you to obtain a written record at a later date unless, for example, they are called away to an emergency. The police must write down:

• the date, time and place of the stop or search;
• why they stopped or searched you;
• what they were looking for.
• the names and/or numbers of the officers; and
• your self-defined ethnic background;

The police will ask for your name and date of birth. You do not have to give this information if you don't want to, unless the police say they are reporting you for an offence. If this is the case you could be arrested if you don’t tell them.

You will also be asked to say what your ethnic background is from the list of national census categories (available below). You do not have to say what it is if you don’t want to. But this information helps show if the police are stopping and searching people just because of their race or ethnicity.

White

British

Irish

Any other white background

Mixed

White and black Caribbean

White and black African

White and Asian

Any other mixed background

Asian or Asian British

Indian

Pakistani

Bangladeshi

Any other Asian background

Black or black British

Caribbean

African

Any other black background

Chinese

Chinese

Other

Any other ethnic group