YOUNG ethnic minority groups are asking the police to be more accountable in their use of stop and search powers.

A group of 31 black and mixed race youths aged between 11 and 19 in the Thames Valley Police area, want police to record details of every stop and search they make.

The teenagers feel they are the ones often stopped by police officers and want them to record their reasons for making the stops, the outcome of the searches and the ethnic identity of the person they stop.

Their voice was heard when Thames Valley Police Authority set up focus groups recently to ask members of the public whether they believed stop and search powers should be more stringently monitored.

Graham Lawson, principal assistant at the Thames Valley Police Authority, said: "There is a big difference between what many of the adults said and what the younger groups thought.

"While most of the older adults generally thought police stop and search powers should be kept as they are, many of the younger group believed the police should be more accountable."

The results of the consultation will be sent back to the Association of Police Authorities for consideration.