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Sadiq Khan today promised to drive down the use of stop and search by the Metropolitan Police if he is elected to City Hall.

The Labour mayoral hopeful said he would do everything within his power to continue the reduction of the policing tool. In London stop and search has fallen by 54 per cent since 2010, but the use of a more intelligence-led, targeted approach has led to thousands more arrests.

Tooting MP Mr Khan, pictured, also pledged to strengthen rules that prevent officers stopping people simply on the basis of their skin colour, by changing the law to make it illegal. He said: “The last few years have shown what can be achieved when there’s a concerted effort to reduce the overuse of stop and search.

“But there’s still much more to be done, and if I’m Mayor I’ll do all in my power to further cut its use. Overuse of stop and search can have a dramatic effect on communities. It undermines public confidence in our police if Londoners are being stopped and searched for no good reason.”

The Met dramatically reduced the number of random stop and searches in 2012 in an effort to improve relations with black and ethnic minority communities.