Official Statistics

Police use of force statistics, England and Wales: April 2021 to March 2022

Published 15 December 2022

Applies to England and Wales

Frequency of release: Annual

Forthcoming releases: Home Office statistics release calendar

Home Office responsible statistician: Jenny Bradley

Press enquiries: pressoffice@homeoffice.gov.uk

Telephone: 0300 123 3535

Public enquiries: PolicingStatistics@homeoffice.gov.uk

1. Key findings

In the year ending 31 March 2022, there were 608,164 recorded incidents in which a police officer used force. This compares with 562,277 in the year ending 31 March 2021 and 491,984 in the year ending 31 March 2020.

Restraint tactics (for example, handcuffing, limb or body restraints, ground restraint) were the most common type of force used (480,215 incidents, 79%). This is a similar proportion to the year ending 31 March 2021 (80%).

The most common reason an officer used force was to protect themselves (425,721 incidents, 70%); the same proportion as the year ending 31 March 2021 (70%).

The most common impact factor was the person being under the influence of alcohol (235,187 incidents, 39%); a higher proportion than in the year ending 31 March 2021 (33%).

The most common outcome was the person being arrested (442,363 incidents, 73%); a lower proportion than in the year ending 31 March 2021 (76%).

Almost half (44%) of ‘use of force’ incidents involved males aged 18 to 34 (as perceived by the officer). This age and gender group had the highest rate of ‘use of force’, (41 incidents per 1,000 population).

2. Introduction

From 1 April 2017, the Home Office required all police forces in the UK to record data on police ‘use of force’. This provides the public with more information on the different types of force used by the police and the context in which it occurs.

The statistics on police ‘use of force’, within this publication, cover incidents in England and Wales between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2022 with comparisons to the year ending 31 March 2021. Data were collected from the 43 Home Office funded police forces in England and Wales.

Restrictions relating to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in 2020 and 2021 are likely to have impacted on the types of incidents attended by police, and therefore, ‘use of force’ during this time. Figures relating to this period should be considered with caution as it is not possible to quantify the extent of the impact.

A ‘use of force’ incident is defined as a situation in which a police officer uses any of the following force tactics.

Restraint tactics:

• handcuffing (compliant or non-compliant)
• limb or body restraints
• ground restraint

Unarmed skills:

• distraction strikes with hands and feet
• pressure point and joint locks

Use of other equipment:

• a baton (including where it was drawn but not used)
• irritant spray (including where it was drawn but not used)
• spit and bite guard
• shield (for example, person struck or pushed with a shield)

Less lethal weapons:

• Conducted Energy Device (CED), for example, TASER ® (including non-discharge uses)
• Attenuating Energy Projectile (AEP), (including where it was drawn but not used)

Firearms:

• use of conventional firearms (including where it was aimed but not fired)

Other:

• use of dogs (including where a dog was deployed but did not come into contact with, such as bite, the person)
• other improvised tactics

See the user guide for more details on tactics, including a tactics glossary.

One ‘use of force incident’ refers to ‘one officer’s use of force involving one person’. Different types of force may have been used in one incident.

As well as the tactics used, officers must also record:

• the person’s details (age, gender, ethnicity and physical or mental health condition, as perceived by the reporting officer)

• the reasons for using force and other impact factors

• outcomes

• locations

• injuries to the person involved in the incident and officers

‘Police use of force statistics’ do not include incidents where force was used in designated public order events. See the user guide for more information.

Limitations of these statistics

Whilst these statistics provide a national picture of police ‘use of force’ in England and Wales, and coverage is considered to be good, there are some limitations. See the user guide for more details.

Statisticians in the Home Office work closely with police forces and the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) to improve the quality and completeness of these statistics.

2.1 Official statistics classification

Police ‘use of force’ statistics are classified as official statistics. This is the fifth year of their publication and the second year the statistics have been published with the ‘experimental’ label removed. As such, the accompanying data tables include data for the years ending 31 March 2022 and 31 March 2021 to show changes over time.

More information on the ‘official statistics label’ is available in the user guide.

3. ‘Use of force’ incidents and tactics

Police officers who deploy any force tactics must report the details of their own ‘use of force’.

In this publication, a ‘use of force incident’ refers to ‘one officer’s use of force’ involving one person. A singular event, or individual, may therefore feature in multiple ‘use of force incidents’.

3.1 Total number of incidents increased by 8%

There were 608,164 recorded incidents where a police officer reported the ‘use of force’ on an individual in England and Wales in the year ending 31 March 2022. This compares with 562,277 in the year ending 31 March 2021, an increase of 45,887 (8%). This increase is likely due in part to the continued improvement in the recording of ‘use of force’ incidents and potentially the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the year ending 31 March 2021 figures.

Of the 43 police forces in England and Wales, 35 (81%) reported an increase in ‘use of force incidents’ compared with the year ending 31 March 2021.

3.2 Number of tactics used in incidents increased by 10%

There were 893,890 ‘use of force tactics’ reported in 608,164 incidents. This is an increase of 10% for tactics used, compared with the year ending 31 March 2021. ‘Use of force incidents’ can include multiple tactics.

Figure 1: Number of times key tactics were used in ‘use of force’ incidents, England and Wales, years ending 31 March 2021 and 31 March 2022

Source: Home Office ‘Police use of force statistics’, England and Wales, April 2021 to March 2022, data table 2.

Notes:

1. Figures for CED (for example, TASER ®, irritant spray, baton, firearms and AEP) include where these were aimed, drawn and non-discharge uses, as well as where they were used, fired or discharged.

Restraint was the most common tactic type. The majority of restraint tactics involved handcuffing, which accounted for almost half (47%) of all ‘use of force tactics’.

Unarmed skills were the second most common tactic type, reported 204,256 times (23% of tactics). These include distraction strikes with the hands or feet and pressure point and joint locks.

While there were increases in most of the key tactics compared with the year ending 31 March 2021, baton and CED use remained similar.

Firearms tactics, (including where the firearm was aimed but not fired, and where it was fired) were used by the police 5,435 times (0.6% of tactics). This is an increase of 84 (+2%) compared with the year ending 31 March 2021, but proportionately similar (0.7% of tactics in the year ending 31 March 2021).

Information on the number of times a firearm was intentionally discharged at a person is published in Police use of firearms, England and Wales, April 2021 to March 2022.

Data quality

The number of incidents does not tell us how many individual people experienced police ‘use of force’, but rather how many times force was recorded by police officers.

For example, in a situation where 3 police officers restrained one individual on the ground, and one of those officers then handcuffed the individual, there would be 3 separate ‘use of force’ reports submitted (one by each officer). These would be counted in this release as 3 ‘incidents’. All 3 reports would include the details of the incident (for example, location) and the person’s details (as perceived by the reporting officer).

The report would also include the tactics the reporting officers used (such as 2 reports would list ground restraint only, and one report would list both ground restraint and handcuffing).

4. ‘Use of force’ by personal characteristics

The personal characteristics of the person involved in the incident are reported as ‘perceived by the reporting officer’.

Owing to the nature of incidents where police officers use force, self-reported characteristics are often not known or recorded at the time of the incident. ‘Use of force’ reports are usually recorded independently of other police recording systems.

Data based on officer perceptions are considered a useful way of understanding the characteristics that the officer perceives the person they used force on to have.

4.1 Over half of ‘use of force incidents’ involved people aged 18 to 34 years

Over half (53%) of recorded ‘use of force incidents’ involved people perceived as being between 18 to 34 years old (325,021 incidents). 10% of incidents (61,262) involved people who were perceived to be aged 17 and under, and of those, 659 were perceived as being aged 10 and under (0.1% of all incidents). Overall, the age demographic remained similar to the year ending 31 March 2021.

Figure 2 shows that people perceived as aged 18 to 34 years were over-represented in ‘use of force incidents’ (53%) compared with the overall population (22%).

Figure 2: Population and ‘use of force’ by perceived age, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2022

Source:

1. Home Office ‘Police use of force statistics’, England and Wales, April 2021 to March 2022, data table 2.
2. Office for National Statistics (ONS) 2021 census.

Figure 3 shows tactics used by age group.

The use of restraint tactics was lower, proportionally, in the youngest and eldest age groups (36% for those aged 10 and under and 58% for those aged 65 and over). They experienced a greater proportion of unarmed skills and other or improvised tactics. This may be evidence of officers using alternative tactics to handcuffing, as per police guidance on personal safety.

There were 8 incidents that involved CEDs in the age group ‘aged 10 years and under’ (one incident where the CED was discharged and 7 where the CED was not discharged).

Figure 3: Proportion of tactics used by type of tactic and perceived age, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2022

Source: Home Office ‘Police use of force statistics’, England and Wales, April 2021 to March 2022, data table 2.

Notes:

1. Some tactics have been grouped - see the data tables for groupings.

Table 1: Proportion of each tactic experienced by perceived age, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2022

Proportion of tactic experienced by group	10 and under	11 to 17	18 to 34	35 to 49	50 to 64	65 and over	Age not reported	Total	Times tactic group used
Restraint	0.1%	10%	54%	28%	7%	0.8%	0.7%	100%	569,320
Unarmed skills	0.2%	11%	54%	26%	7%	1%	2%	100%	204,256
Other equipment	0.04%	6%	58%	27%	6%	0.5%	3%	100%	36,108
Less lethal weapons	0.02%	8%	56%	27%	6%	0.8%	2%	100%	35,389
Firearms	0.02%	9%	61%	22%	6%	0.9%	2%	100%	5,435
Other	0.3%	10%	53%	25%	7%	1%	2%	100%	43,382
% of incidents involving group	0.1%	10%	53%	27%	7%	0.9%	1%	100%

Source: Home Office ‘Police use of force statistics’, England and Wales, April 2021 to March 2022, data table 2.

Table 1 shows that people perceived as aged 11 to 17 years old accounted for 10% of incidents, but, experienced proportionally fewer less-lethal weapons and firearms tactics (8% and 9% respectively).

People perceived as being aged 18 to 34 accounted for 53% of all ‘use of force incidents’, and experienced a higher proportion of police use of less lethal weapons and firearms (56% and 61% respectively). See data table 2 for further information.

4.2 Over 80% of ‘police use of force incidents’ involved males

This report refers to the perceived gender of the person rather than the sex. ‘Sex’ can be considered to refer to whether someone is male, or female based on their physiology. ‘Gender’ refers to a social construct or sense of self that takes a wider range of forms.

The data collection gives 3 options for the perceived gender of the person:

• female
• male
• ‘other’ (this may comprise people who are perceived to be non-binary or where the person’s gender is unclear)

Of the 608,164 recorded ‘use of force incidents’, 81% involved those perceived as male (489,958 incidents), a similar proportion to the year ending 31 March 2021 (82%). Males comprise 49% of the population of England and Wales.

Figure 4 shows restraint tactics were used less often in incidents involving those perceived as female or ‘other’, compared with those perceived as male.

Unarmed skills were used more, which may be evidence of officers using alternative tactics to handcuffing for these groups, as per police guidance on personal safety.

Figure 4: Proportion of tactics used by type and perceived gender, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2022

Source: Home Office ‘Police use of force statistics’, England and Wales, April 2021 to March 2022, data table 3.

Notes:

1. For ease of viewing, some of the tactics have been grouped, see the data tables for groupings.
2. Where percentages have been rounded, they may not sum to the total.

Table 2 shows that those perceived as male accounted for 81% of incidents and experienced a higher proportion of ‘police use of less lethal weapons and firearms’ (90%). See data table 3 for further information.

Table 2: Proportion of tactics experienced by type and perceived gender, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2022

Proportion of tactic experienced by group	Male	Female	Other	Gender not reported	Total	Times tactic group used
Restraint	81%	17%	0.4%	1%	100%	569,320
Unarmed skills	76%	22%	0.7%	2%	100%	204,256
Other equipment	85%	11%	0.9%	3%	100%	36,108
Less lethal weapons	90%	7%	0.6%	2%	100%	35,389
Firearms	90%	8%	0.8%	0.9%	100%	5,435
Other	74%	23%	1%	2%	100%	43,382
% of incidents involving group	81%	17%	0.5%	2%	100%

Source: Home Office ‘Police use of force statistics’, England and Wales, April 2021 to March 2022, data table 3.

Notes:

1. Where percentages have been rounded, they may not sum to the total.

4.3 Increase in ‘use of force’ driven by incidents involving people perceived as white

73% (444,374) reported ‘use of force incidents’ involved people perceived as white. This is compared to:

• 14% (82,810) perceived as black
• 7% (42,386) perceived as Asian
• 2% (13,336) perceived as mixed
• 2% (14,956) perceived from other ethnic groups

No ethnicity information was recorded in 2% (10,302) of incidents.

Compared with the year ending 31 March 2021, the number of ‘use of force incidents’ involving people perceived as white increased by 50,834 (+13%). The number of incidents involving people perceived as black decreased by 6,179 (-7%). There was a smaller increase for those perceived as mixed ethnicity (+4%) and smaller decreases for those perceived as Asian (-3%) and other ethnicities (-0.4%).

Figure 5: Change in number of ‘use of force incidents’ by perceived ethnicity, years ending 31 March 2021 to 31 March 2022

Source: Home Office ‘Police use of force statistics’, England and Wales, April 2021 to March 2022, data table 4.

Figure 6: Proportion of tactics used by type and perceived ethnicity, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2022

Source: Home Office ‘Police use of force statistics’, England and Wales, April 2021 to March 2022, data table 4.

Notes:

1. For ease of viewing, some of the tactics have been grouped, see the data tables for groupings.
2. Details on ethnicity groupings are available on ‘UK population by ethnicity’ statistics.

Table 3 shows that in the year ending 31 March 2022, people perceived as being from a black ethnic group (14% of incidents) were involved in proportionally more incidents involving ‘police use of less lethal weapons’ and firearms (17% and 22% respectively).

People perceived as being from a white ethnic group (73% of incidents) were involved in proportionally less (70% and 59% respectively).

People perceived as being from an Asian ethnic group (7% of incidents; 8% in the year ending 31 March 2021) were involved in proportionally more incidents involving the use of firearms (11%; 13% in the year ending 31 March 2021).

These patterns were similar to those seen in the data in the year ending 31 March 2021. See data table 4 for further information.

Table 3: Proportion of tactics experienced by type and perceived ethnicity, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2022

Proportion of tactic experienced by group	White	Black (or Black British)	Asian (or Asian British)	Mixed	Other	Not reported	Total
Restraint	74%	13%	7%	2%	2%	1%	100%
Unarmed skills	77%	12%	5%	2%	2%	2%	100%
Other equipment	76%	12%	5%	2%	2%	3%	100%
Less lethal weapons	70%	17%	6%	2%	2%	2%	100%
Firearms	59%	22%	11%	3%	3%	2%	100%
Other	78%	11%	4%	2%	2%	3%	100%
% of incidents involving group	73%	14%	7%	2%	2%	2%	100%

Source: Home Office ‘Police use of force statistics’, England and Wales, April 2021 to March 2022, data table 4.

Notes:

1. Details on ethnicity groupings are available on ‘UK population by ethnicity’ statistics.
2. Where percentages have been rounded, they may not sum to the total.

4.4 People perceived as black experienced ‘use of force’ at 3.0 times the rate higher than people perceived as white (based on 2021 census population)

The rate of ‘use of force’ can be calculated for different ethnic groups. To calculate take the number of times tactics were used on each ethnicity group and divide by the number of people resident in England and Wales by ethnic group.

Population figures by ethnicity were released by ONS on 29 November 2022 and have been used to calculate rates of ‘use of force’ by police force area and ethnicity, for data collected in the year ending 31 March 2022, and to revise the rates for the year ending 31 March 2021.

In the publication for the year ending 31 March 2021 , mid-year 2019 population estimates by ethnicity were used to calculate the rates for data collected in the year ending 31 March 2021. The release of updated population estimates means that most rates for the year ending 31 March 2021 reduced when calculated with 2021 census figures, compared with mid-year 2019 estimates.

‘Use of force’ tactics involved people perceived as being from a black ethnic group, at a rate 3.0 times higher than those perceived as being from a white ethnic group, in police force areas in England and Wales, excluding the Metropolitan Police (updated figure of 2.9 in the year ending 31 March 2021). The rate for those perceived as being from an Asian or mixed ethnic group was lower than the rate for those perceived as white and the rate for other ethnic groups was similar to the white group.

In the Metropolitan police force area, ‘use of force’ tactics involved people perceived as being from a black ethnic group at a rate 3.4 times higher than those perceived as being from a white ethnic group (updated figure of 3.5 in the year ending 31 March 2021). The rate for those perceived as being from an Asian or mixed ethnic group was lower than the rate for those perceived as white and the rate for other ethnic groups was similar to the white group.

The Metropolitan police force area is the largest in England and Wales. It has a proportionately larger number of black, Asian or other minority ethnic groups (46%), compared with the rest of England and Wales (13%) (calculated from the 2021 census).

The combination of the 2 means that data from the Metropolitan Police force can skew national level figures. Therefore, rates are calculated for the Metropolitan Police separately from other forces in England and Wales.

Table 4: Rate of ‘use of force’ (all tactics) by perceived ethnicity, England and Wales, years ending 31 March 2022 and 31 March 2021 (updated)

	White	Black (or Black British)	Asian (or Asian British)	Mixed	Other
Year ending 31 March 2022
England and Wales	1.0	3.5	0.7	0.8	1.1
England and Wales exc. Metropolitan Police	1.0	3.0	0.7	0.8	1.0
Metropolitan Police	1.0	3.4	0.8	0.7	1.1
Year ending 31 March 2021 (updated with 2021 census figures)
England and Wales	1.0	4.2	0.9	0.9	1.3
England and Wales exc. Metropolitan Police	1.0	2.9	0.7	0.8	1.0
Metropolitan Police	1.0	3.5	0.8	0.7	1.1

Source:

1. Home Office ‘Police use of force statistics’, England and Wales, April 2021 to March 2022, data table 16.
2. ONS 2021 census.

Notes:

1. Rates for black, Asian, mixed and other ethnic groups are shown in relation to the white ethnic group. For example, ‘use of force’ incidents involved those perceived as black 3.0 times more often than those perceived as white in England and Wales (excluding the Metropolitan Police).
2. Details on ethnicity groupings are available from UK population by ethnicity statistics.

Calculating rates of ‘use of force’ by ethnicity provides insight into the relative ‘use of force’ for different ethnic groups. However, it has the following limitations and should be interpreted with caution for the following reasons:

• multiple incidents of ‘use of force’ may be recorded on the same individual, meaning that the personal characteristics of that individual are over-represented in the ‘use of force’ dataset

• data are not available on the ethnicity of all people that the police come into contact with; therefore, the calculation does not consider any disproportionality in this group, which is affected by much wider socioeconomic factors, and assumes the distribution is the same as the resident population of England and Wales

• police force areas vary in their ethnicity composition; an average national figure presumes that all ‘use of force’ tactics and ethnicity groups are spread evenly across forces, whereas these can differ considerably between forces; within a police force area there can be significant variation in terms of the distribution of different ethnicity groups, which may be masked by force level averages

• rates are influenced by the accuracy of the population figures available at the time; rates for the year ending 31 March 2021 have been updated using 2021 census population figures, and most were lower than rates calculated using mid-year 2019 population estimates

4.5 Black males aged 18 to 34 experienced the highest rate of ‘use of force’

People perceived as male and aged 18 to 34 years were over-represented in ‘use of force’ incidents compared with the overall population (mid-year 2019 population estimates; 2021 census data by age, sex and ethnicity were not available at the time of publication), and this varied by perceived ethnic group (Figure 7).

Those perceived as male, aged 18 to 34 and from a black ethnic group accounted for 7% of all ‘use of force’ incidents, compared with 0.5% of the overall population, and a rate of 145 ‘use of force’ incidents per 1,000 population. This compares with a rate of 158 per 1,000 population in the year ending 31 March 2021.

In the year ending 31 March 2022 the rate of ‘use of force’ per 1,000 population for males aged 18 to 34 was:

• 35 for those perceived as white
• 33 for those perceived as Asian
• 26 for those perceived as mixed
• 77 for those perceived as other ethnic groups

See data table 18 for further information.

Figure 7: Proportion of ‘use of force’ incidents by perceived age, gender and white and black ethnicities, compared with the population, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2022

Source:

1. Home Office ‘Police use of force statistics’, England and Wales, April 2021 to March 2022, open data table.
2. ONS mid-year 2019 population estimates.

4.6 Situations in which police ‘use force’ can include the person being arrested, stopped and searched or detained under the Mental Health act (MHA)

The Home Office collects and publishes information on arrests and stop and search in the annual Police powers and procedures: Stop and search and arrests, England and Wales statistical bulletin, and information on detentions under the Mental Health Act in the annual Police powers and procedures: Other PACE powers, England and Wales statistical bulletin.

Figure 8 shows these figures by ethnic group (where reported) alongside the population of England and Wales.

People perceived as black were over-represented in ‘use of force’ incidents compared with the population of England and Wales, those detained under the Mental Health Act (MHA) and arrests.

People perceived as Asian or mixed ethnicity appear to be under-represented in use of force incidents compared with the population of England and Wales and those arrested.

Figure 8: Ethnicity proportions by population, ‘use of force’, stop and search, arrests and detentions under the Mental Health Act (MHA), England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2022

Source:

1. Home Office ‘Police use of force statistics’, England and Wales, April 2021 to March 2022, data table 4.
2. ONS 2021 census.
3. Home Office ‘Police powers and procedures: Stop and search and arrests, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2022’, table A_01c and SS_05.
4. Home Office ‘Police powers and procedures: Other PACE powers, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2022’, table MHA.03a.

Notes:

1. One person may appear in multiple datasets, for example where a person is stopped and searched, the person is arrested, and force is used.

4.7 16% of people who experienced ‘use of force’ were perceived to have a mental health condition

The majority (80%) of reported ‘use of force’ incidents involved people who were not perceived to have a physical or mental health condition (486,820 incidents).

People perceived as having a mental health condition accounted for 16% of incidents and those with physical health conditions, or both mental and physical health conditions, accounted for fewer than 1% of incidents each.

Table 5 shows that restraint tactics were used in fewer incidents where the person was perceived as having a mental health condition. This may be partly accounted for by guidance issued to police forces on personal safety. This states characteristics, such as mental and physical health conditions, should be considered in the decision to use handcuffs. In situations where handcuffing or other restraints would aggravate the person’s condition, unarmed skills (which proportionately were used in a higher number of incidents where the person was perceived as having a mental health condition (21%)), may have been employed by the officer instead.

People perceived as having a mental health condition were involved in proportionally more incidents involving the use of less lethal weapons (18%) but fewer involving the use of firearms (7%).

Table 5: Proportion of tactic experienced by type and perceived physical and mental health condition, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2022

Proportion of tactic experienced by group	None	Mental	Physical	Mental and physical	Not reported	Total
Restraint	80%	16%	0.7%	0.6%	3%	100%
Unarmed skills	76%	21%	0.7%	0.8%	0.8%	100%
Other equipment	79%	18%	0.6%	0.8%	2%	100%
Less lethal weapons	79%	18%	0.5%	0.7%	2%	100%
Firearms	90%	7%	0.6%	0.3%	3%	100%
Other	77%	20%	0.8%	0.9%	1%	100%
% of incidents involving group	80%	16%	0.7%	0.6%	3%	100%

Source: Home Office ‘Police use of force statistics’, England and Wales, April 2021 to March 2022, data table 5.

Notes:

1. Where percentages have been rounded, they may not sum to the total.

Figure 9: Proportion of tactics by type and perceived physical or mental health condition, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2022

Source: Home Office ‘Police use of force statistics’, England and Wales, April 2021 to March 2022, data table 5.

Notes:

1. Some of the tactics have been grouped, see the data tables for groupings.

The proportion of incidents involving someone perceived to have a mental health condition varied by perceived ethnic group. 18% of those perceived as white were perceived to have a mental health condition, 13% of those perceived as black, 12% of those perceived as Asian, 16% of those perceived as mixed and 11% of those perceived as being from an ‘other ethnic group’.

Data quality

All person details are recorded as perceived by the reporting officer. For more information on data quality see the user guide.

5. ‘Use of force’ by reason, impact factors and outcomes

Officers have the option to record multiple reasons, impact factors and outcomes relating to their ‘use of force’ within an incident.

5.1 Protection was the most common reason for using force

The most reported reasons for using force were:

• for the reporting officer’s own protection (425,721 incidents, 70%)
• protection of other officers (368,722 incidents, 61%)
• to assist in making an arrest (323,256 incidents, 53%)

Proportionately these remained similar to the year ending 31 March 2021.

Figure 10: Top 5 reasons for using force, England and Wales, years ending 31 March 2021 to 31 March 2022

Source: Home Office ‘Police use of force statistics’, England and Wales, April 2021 to March 2022, data table 6.

Notes:

1. Figure 10 shows the 5 most common reasons only. Multiple reasons can apply in an incident.

In incidents involving police use of firearms, including where a firearm was aimed or fired, the most common reasons for using force also included preventing an offence.

5.2 Alcohol was reported as an impact factor in over a third of incidents

The most commonly reported impact factors were:

• alcohol (235,187 incidents, 39%)
• the size, gender or build of the person involved (188,296 incidents, 31%)
• drugs (179,949 incidents, 30%)

Where firearms or less lethal weapons (CEDs and AEPs) were used, the most common impact factor recorded was the person being in possession of a weapon (83% of firearms incidents and 59% of less lethal weapons incidents).

5.3 In around three-quarters of ‘use of force’ incidents, the person was arrested

The most common outcome across all incidents where force was used was that the person was arrested (442,363 incidents, 73%). This compares with 76% in the year ending 31 March 2021.

‘Other’ was the second most common outcome (17%). The same proportion as the year ending 31 March 2021. This could include the person being cautioned, or de-arrested following further information, for example. See the user guide for further details.

Figure 11: Number of incidents, by outcome, England and Wales, years ending 31 March 2021 to 31 March 2022

Source: Home Office ‘Police use of force statistics’, England and Wales, April 2021 to March 2022, data table 8.

Notes:

1. Multiple outcomes can apply in an incident.

6. CED (conducted energy device) use

Officers must record when a CED (for example, a TASER ®) is used in an incident, including when it is not fired (non-discharge uses).

CED use is recorded against 7 categories: drawn, aimed, arced, red-dot, drive-stun, fired and angle drive-stun. Drawn, aimed, arced and red-dot are non-discharge uses as no electricity is discharged into the person. Drive-stun, fired and angle drive-stun are discharge uses.

For definitions of these uses, see the user guide.

In keeping with previous recording on CED use, these statistics present the ‘highest’ use of CED from each incident. For example, if a CED is drawn, aimed, red-dotted and fired, this use will appear under ‘fired’ only.

6.1 Where use type was stated, CEDs discharged in 10% of CED incidents

CEDs were used in 34,276 incidents in the year ending 31 March 2022, a similar number of times compared with the year ending 31 March 2021 (-140; -0.4%). There was a 2% (+707) increase in non-discharge uses (29,983) and a 3% (-109) decrease in discharge uses. Uses where the type of use was not stated decreased by 41% (-738).

Where the use type was stated, the CED was discharged in 10% (3,212) of incidents and not discharged in 90% (29,983) of incidents.

There were 30 drive stun uses in the year ending 31 March 2022, compared with 64 in the year ending 31 March 2021, a decrease of 53%.

6.2 CED use remained similar to the year ending 31 March 2021

There have been year-on-year increases in CED use from the years ending 31 March 2018 to 31 March 2021. In the year ending 31 March 2022, the level remained similar to the year ending 31 March 2021. The increase in previous years may reflect:

• the increase in recent years of the number of CED trained officers and CEDs available in police forces (which is based on forces’ strategic assessments of threat and risk)

• officers dealing with more incidents with the potential for conflict

• an increase in the recording of CED due to improved and simpler methods of recording

A similar number in the year ending 31 March 2022 may reflect:

• a levelling off of CED availability and training after a period of increases

• recording practices becoming more established after simpler methods were introduced

Figure 12: Number of times CEDs were used, England and Wales, year ending 31 December 2010 to year ending 31 March 2022

Source:

1. Home Office ‘Police use of force statistics’, England and Wales, April 2021 to March 2022, data table 13.
2. Police use of TASER ® X26 conducted energy devices statistics, England and Wales, collection.

Notes:

1. CEDs were first trialled in UK police forces in 2003, after which the use of CEDs by all specially trained officers was authorised by the then Home Secretary in 2008. The CED roll out to all 43 Home Office police forces finished in 2013.

The statistics on police use of CEDs that were previously collected and published by the Home Office on a calendar year basis up to 2016 (inclusive) are available on ‘Police use of TASER ® X26 conducted energy devices statistics’.

The way in which police use of CEDs is counted and measured has remained consistent over time. However, the way officers report their use changed in the year ending 31 March 2018 and as such these are not directly comparable with figures for previous years.

6.3 Once drawn, CED discharge uses were similar across ethnicities

People perceived as being from a black ethnic group (14% of incidents) were involved in proportionally more incidents involving CEDs (17%), and people perceived as being from a white ethnic group (73% of incidents) were involved in proportionally less (70%).

Once drawn, CEDs were discharged in 10% of CED incidents involving people perceived to be from a white ethnic group and in 9% of incidents involving people perceived as being from a black or Asian ethnic group.

Table 6: CED use, by type of use and perceived ethnicity, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2022

CED use type	Times CED used	Non-discharge	Discharge	Not stated
White	24,036 (70%)	20,355 (85%)	2,310 (10%)	1,371 (6%)
Black (or Black British)	5,757 (17%)	5,109 (89%)	508 (9%)	140 (2%)
Asian (or Asian British)	2,160 (6%)	1,918 (89%)	185 (9%)	57 (3%)
Mixed	821 (2%)	726 (88%)	74 (9%)	21 (3%)
Other	739 (2%)	670 (91%)	46 (6%)	23 (3%)
Not reported	763 (2%)	600 (79%)	52 (7%)	111 (15%)
Total	34,276 (100%)	29,378 (86%)	3,175 (9%)	1,723 (5%)

Source: Home Office ‘Police use of force statistics’, England and Wales, April 2021 to March 2022, data table 4.

Notes:

1. Drawn, aimed, arced, and red-dot are non-discharge uses as no electricity is discharged into the person. Drive-stun, fired, and angle drive-stun are discharge uses.
2. Where percentages have been rounded, they may not sum to the total.
3. Not stated includes CED uses that were missing full incident details.

6.4 Rate of CED use higher for people perceived as from black ethnic group

The rate of CED use, including discharge (for example, fired, drive-stun) and non-discharge uses (for example, drawn, aimed, red-dot) can be calculated for different ethnic groups. This is done by taking the number of times a CED was used on each ethnic group and dividing by the number of people within each ethnic group for a given population. Whilst this calculation provides insight into the relative use of CED for different ethnic groups, it has the same limitations as the relative ‘use of force’ for different ethnic groups as outlined in section 4.4 of this release, and figures should be interpreted with the same level of caution.

Incidents where a CED was used involved someone perceived as being from a black ethnic group at a rate 4.1 times higher than someone perceived as being from a white ethnic group in police force areas in England and Wales (excluding the Metropolitan police), and at a rate 4.7 times higher in the Metropolitan police force area, when compared with the 2021 census. These rates were 4.1 and 4.5 in the year ending 31 March 2021 (updated using 2021 census population figures).

CED discharge incidents (where the CED is fired or used to deliver a ‘drive-stun’ or ‘angled drive-stun’) involved someone perceived as being from a black ethnic group at a rate 3.8 times higher than someone perceived as being from a white ethnic group in police force areas in England and Wales (excluding the Metropolitan police, and Warwickshire and West Mercia who were not able to provide personal characteristics for these data), and at a rate 4.1 times higher in the Metropolitan police force area, using the 2021 census.

The Metropolitan Police is the largest police force in England and Wales and therefore had the largest number of CED uses (7,655; 22% of England and Wales total). It also has a proportionately larger number of people from a black, Asian or other minority ethnic group within its police force area (46%) compared with the rest of England and Wales (13%) (calculated from the 2021 census). The combination of the 2 means that data from the Metropolitan police force area can skew national level figures. Table 7 shows the rate of CED uses for the Metropolitan Police separately from England and Wales.

Table 7: Rate of CED use, by type of use and perceived ethnicity, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2022

	White	Black (or Black British)	Asian (or Asian British)	Mixed	Other
All CED use
England and Wales	1.0	4.8	0.8	1.0	1.2
England and Wales exc. Metropolitan Police	1.0	4.1	0.7	1.0	1.1
Metropolitan Police	1.0	4.7	0.8	0.7	1.1
CED discharges
England and Wales exc. Warwickshire, West Mercia	1.0	4.3	0.7	0.9	0.8
England and Wales exc. Metropolitan Police, Warwickshire, West Mercia	1.0	3.8	0.7	1.0	0.8
Metropolitan Police	1.0	4.1	0.6	0.6	0.6
CED non-discharges
England and Wales exc. Warwickshire, West Mercia	1.0	4.9	0.8	1.0	1.2
England and Wales exc. Metropolitan Police, Warwickshire, West Mercia	1.0	4.0	0.8	1.1	1.1
Metropolitan Police	1.0	4.7	0.8	0.7	1.1

Source:

1. Home Office ‘Police use of force statistics’, England and Wales, April 2021 to March 2022, data table 13.
2. ONS 2021 census.

Notes:

1. Rates for black, Asian, mixed and other ethnic groups are shown relative to the white ethnic group, for example, CED use involved those perceived as black 4.1 times more often than those perceived as white in England and Wales (excluding the Metropolitan Police).
2. Details on ethnicity groupings are available on ‘UK population by ethnicity’ statistics.
3. CED discharge and non-discharge rates do not include Warwickshire or West Mercia as they were not able to provide personal characteristics for these data.

6.5 The most common impact factor in CED incidents was possession of a weapon

Possession of a weapon was reported as an impact factor in 59% of CED incidents, with over half of these incidents involving someone perceived as aged 18 to 34 (54%).

Figure 13 shows the age breakdown of those involved in CED incidents, and of those, where possession of a weapon was an impact factor. Possession of a weapon was more often an impact factor in incidents involving CED use in the youngest and oldest age groups.

Figure 13: Percentage of incidents involving CED use and an impact factor of possession of a weapon, by perceived age group, year ending 31 March 2022

Source: Home Office ‘Police use of force statistics’, England and Wales, April 2021 to March 2022, open data table.

Possession of a weapon was recorded as an impact factor in:

• 12% of incidents involving people perceived as white
• 25% of incidents involving people perceived as black
• 18% of incidents involving people perceived as mixed or Asian
• 17% of incidents involving people perceived as an ‘other ethnicity’

Where possession of a weapon was an impact factor, a CED was more likely to be used in incidents involving those perceived to be white (25%), compared with those perceived as mixed (22%), other, black or Asian (19%).

Figure 14. ‘Use of force’ incidents involving possession of a weapon and CED use, by ethnicity, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2022

Source: Home Office ‘Police use of force statistics’, England and Wales, April 2021 to March 2022, open data table.

6.6 CED use by mental health and ethnicity

Officers record whether they perceive the person involved to have a mental health condition. Often it is not possible for the officer using force to report whether the person has a self-reported mental health condition as ‘use of force’ reports are usually recorded independently of other police recording systems.

People perceived as having a mental health condition (16% of all use of force incidents) were involved in proportionally more incidents involving the use of CED (19%) and incidents where the CED was discharged (26%).

In incidents involving someone with a perceived mental health condition, CED use was similar across ethnicities (7% for people perceived as black or white ethnicity, and 6% for those perceived as Asian, mixed or other ethnicity) and age groups (between 6% and 8% for those aged 18 and over and lower for those aged 17 and under).

CED data quality

The method of recording police use of CEDs changed in 2017 to 2018, making this collection year the fifth in the series. Despite the change in collection methods, the total figure for CED use is considered to be an accurate reflection of CED use by the 43 police forces in England and Wales in the year ending 31 March 2022.

7. Incidents by police force area and location

The number of ‘use of force’ incidents in a police forces’ area is influenced by its population and a range of other socioeconomic factors.

7.1 Almost a quarter of all police ‘use of force’ incidents were reported by the Metropolitan Police

The number of incidents reported by each police force ranged from 2,162 in Warwickshire (0.4% of total incidents) to 144,166 in the Metropolitan Police force area (24% of total incidents). Taking the size of the population into account, Cleveland reported the most use of force per population, with 30 incidents per 1,000 population, and Staffordshire reported the least, with 3 incidents per 1,000 population.

Figure 15: ‘Use of force’ incidents per 1,000 population, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2022

Source:

1. Home Office ‘Police use of force statistics’, England and Wales, April 2021 to March 2022, data table 12.
2. ONS 2021 census.

Notes:

1. City of London are not shown due to the small resident population of the area relative to the transient or visiting population.

7.2 Absolute and relative rate of ‘use of force’ by ethnicity varied by police force area

Police force areas vary by ethnicity composition and the national rate of ‘use of force’ for different ethnic groups masks these differences.

Figure 16 shows the rate and relative rate of ‘use of force’ for those perceived as black.

Dorset reported 653 ‘use of force’ tactics involving people perceived as black (5% of their total incidents) and have a small black population (0.7% of their total population), giving rise to both a high rate of ‘use of force’ for those perceived as black (123 per 1,000 population), and a high rate relative to those perceived as white (7.1 times higher).

Northumbria reported 691 ‘use of force’ incidents involving people perceived as black (a similar number to Dorset but totalling only 2% of their total incidents) and have a slightly larger black population (1.2%). They had a lower rate of ‘use of force’ for those perceived as black (40 per 1,000 population) and a lower rate relative to the white population (1.6 times higher) than Dorset.

Figure 16: ‘Use of force’ rate per 1,000 population and relative rates for people perceived as black, by police force area, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2022

Source:

1. Home Office ‘Police use of force statistics’, England and Wales, April 2021 to March 2022, open data table.
2. ONS 2021 census.

Notes:

1. City of London are not shown due to the small resident population of the area relative to the transient or visiting population.

7.3 Location of ‘use of force’ varied by tactic type

Over half (58%) of recorded incidents included a public location (355,451 incidents) in the year ending 31 March 2022. A street or highway was the most common location across most tactics; shield more commonly included a dwelling (43%) or custody block (23%) as a location.

The use of less lethal weapons and firearms was recorded predominantly in public locations (mostly a street or highway; 48%) and dwellings (36%).

Figure 17: Number of times location type was reported, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2022

Source: Home Office ‘Police use of force statistics’, England and Wales, April 2021 to March 2022, data table 9.

Notes:

1. Locations have been grouped; see the data tables for groupings.

7.4 Police ‘use of force’ in custody blocks

Custody block was listed as a location in 69,212 ‘use of force’ incidents.

Table 8 compares total tactics used in all locations with those that included custody block as a location. It does not necessarily follow that the tactics were always used within a custody block. 27% of incidents involving a custody block also included additional locations (such as, they could have been used before the person was placed in custody).

Table 8: Proportion of tactics used in all locations by type and those with custody block listed, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2022

	Total tactics reported	Tactics reported with custody block as a location
% of total tactics reported	100%	13%
Restraint	64%	56%
Unarmed skills	23%	33%
Other equipment	4%	4%
Less lethal weapons	4%	0.4%
Firearms	0.6%	0.01%
Other	5%	7%

Source: Home Office ‘Police use of force statistics’, England and Wales, April 2021 to March 2022, data table 9.

Notes:

1. Tactics have been grouped; see the data tables for groupings.

Incidents in which custody block was listed as a location (but not necessarily the only location) featured a higher proportion of unarmed skills (33%), compared with all incidents in general.

Restraint tactics, less lethal weapons and firearms were proportionately less likely to be used in custody blocks compared with all incidents in general. See data table 9 for further information.

8. Injuries

Officers record details of their own injuries from the ‘use of force’ incident and those sustained by the person involved, where these injuries were as a result of the ‘use of force’.

Data quality

Some data on injuries were inconsistent. For example, some officers reported ‘no injury’ sustained due to their ‘use of force’, but then also included details of a ‘minor’ injury. This could be because officers recorded injuries (to themselves or to the person involved) even when these did not occur as a result of the ‘use of force’ incident. The same may be true for the reporting of hospitalisations.

Injury level is recorded in the following categories:

Minor

An injury which may require some simple first aid but does not meet the definition of severe.

Severe

A fracture, deep cut, deep laceration or an injury causing damage to an internal organ or the impairment of any bodily function. In addition, an injury which may, after initial assessment at hospital, require formal admission to hospital.

8.1 Officer injuries

Of the 608,164 ‘use of force’ incidents recorded, 19,758 (3%) involved the officer sustaining an injury during the ‘use of force’ incident, either through an intentional or unintentional assault. Of the 19,758:

• 94% (18,582) reported minor injuries

• 2% (299) reported severe injuries

• 4% (877) had no injury level recorded

A full breakdown is provided in data table 10.

8.2 Person injuries

Of the 608,164 incidents recorded, 5% (29,148) reported that the person involved was injured as a result of police ‘use of force’. Of the 29,148:

• 96% (27,921) reported minor injuries

• 2% (577) reported severe injuries

• 2% (650) had no injury level recorded

Of the 29,148 incidents where the person was reported as injured, 3,221 (11%) included hospitalisation as an outcome.

In total, there were 24,323 incidents with an outcome of ‘hospitalisation’ (4% of incidents; the same proportion as the year ending 31 March 2021). Of these, there were 19,279 incidents where the officer reported that the person did not sustain an injury as a result of the officer’s ‘use of force’ (79%), the same proportion as the year ending 31 March 2021.

Of the remaining hospitalisations, officers reported 1,819 (7%) as unknown whether the person was injured as a result of force used (8% in the year ending 31 March 2021).

Officers should only report a hospitalisation outcome where this was caused by their ‘use of force’, so it is likely that these include hospitalisations for other reasons. For example, the person may have sustained an injury through another cause, or may have required medical attention, for substances used before the incident, or for any other pre-existing medical condition.

In 5% (29,721) of incidents, the officer recorded that they did not know if the person sustained an injury due to their ‘use of force’ or it was not reported. Data are provided in data table 11.

There are several limitations associated with the quality of the data on injuries recorded within the police ‘use of force’ data. See the user guide for more information.

Under the Police Reform Act 2002, police forces in England and Wales have a statutory duty to refer all incidents involving a death or serious injury to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) for consideration. The IOPC will determine whether it is necessary to investigate and who should carry out the investigation. Some matters are investigated by police forces and some are investigated by the IOPC. The IOPC National Statistics report on deaths during or following police contact provides more comprehensive information.

9. Developments, feedback and enquiries

Developments to the police ‘use of force’ statistics include:

• introduction of a time series

Year-on-year comparisons have been provided for the first time in the year ending 31 March 2022 publication. They have not previously been included due to the evolving and experimental nature of the data collection. With the exception of CED data, which is a more established data set, it is expected that changes to the volume of incidents were in part a reflection of a continuation of improved recording, so should be interpreted with caution.

• inclusion of some 2021 census data

Population figures for England and Wales from the 2021 census were used to calculate rates of use of force by ethnicity for the year ending 31 March 2022 and to revise rates for the year ending 31 March 2021. At the time of publication, population figures by ethnicity and other personal characteristics were not available, so rates by age and gender were calculated using mid-year 2019 population estimates.

Statistical or public enquiries

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