An anti-racism group has logged a complaint with the Commissioner of Police after learning some black males had allegedly been unfairly targeted for stop and searches.Cordell Riley, a member of the advocacy group at Citizens Uprooting Racism in Bermuda (CURB), said black males were denigrated more than any other group on the Island.He said the fact that 98 percent of the Island’s prison population was black meant we must consider how our “laws and arrest processes create this same phenomenon”.Mr Riley told parliamentarians yesterday it was important for police to keep track of who was being searched under the 2006 PACE (Police and Criminal Evidence) legislation and why.“In Bermuda, the group, more than any other group that has been denigrated, is the black male. We see this being played out in the educational system, in the job market, in the housing market and in the criminal justice system.“In regards to the later, for example, at least two male, black members of CURB have been stopped under the 2006 PACE legislation and it is clear that the Police Service is either ignorant of the application of the law or have chosen not to abide by it.“A complaint has been logged with the Commissioner of Police and a response is awaited,” he added.The Bermuda Police Service last night said it had not analysed its stop and search data on the basis of race, but were in the process of collecting information to assist in quantifying concerns raised by CURB.A Police spokesman said: “The Bermuda Police Service’s response to gun and gang crimes required an increase in the number of occasions we had to use PACE and Criminal Code provisions to stop and search people.“Most of these searches were conducted in areas where our intelligence suggested that gang related violence was likely to occur.“Disrupting criminals by creating uncertainty when they will be stopped and searched plays an important role in reducing the number of weapons being carried on the streets.“In addition, the Bermuda Police Service has a policy against bias based profiling.”The spokesman said officers were trained to focus on a person’s conduct or behaviour, and not their race, when conducting stop and searches.They were also provided with cultural diversity training on an annual basis.Anyone who feels they have been not dealt with appropriately during a stop and search can make a formal complaint to the independent Police Complaints Authority (PCA), the spokesman added.People can contact PCA chairwoman Michelle St Jane on mstjane[AT]gov.bm or call 279-2848.Mr Riley spoke to the joint select committee on violent crime and gang violence yesterday. He said black men were often punished even after finishing their prison sentences.As a teacher of GED Math and life skills at Westgate Correctional Facility, he said many men found it “extremely difficult” to find work, housing and support their families upon their release.This created a cycle of “poverty, anger and frustration”, which needed to be addressed, he added.“As part of the process of looking at the dysfunction in our society, those in our criminal justice system must look at the system and laws in place, which like America, continues to ensure that our prisons are full of black males.”He said many of the Island’s problems were tied to racism and there needed to be a process of “truth and reconciliation”.Through open dialogue, he said people could remember the truths of the past in order to find healing in the future.He said it was important for the Island to more effectively articulate its commitment to anti-racism and address it as an urgent issue.Mr Riley also said it was essential to tackle poverty and said an increase in the number of decent, affordable housing units in different parts of the Island was needed.Useful website: www.uprootingracism.org.