A Black man has accused police of racially profiling him after he was stopped and searched more than 40 times across 10 years.

Phil Powell, the owner of Mama Fay’s Caribbean in Ceredigion, west Wales, says he has been left shaken by police ‘constantly’ searching him.

The dad-of-two has been pulled over eight times in the last two years – though he admits he’s lost count of the tally over the years he’s lived in Aberaeron.

Having filmed several of the searches, he accused Dyfed-Powys Police officers of physically assaulting him and targeting him because he is Black.

Powell, a veteran who served twice with the army in Afghanistan, claimed he was once ‘kneed’ by an officer and was strong-armed in front of his wife and children.

The 41-year-old was pulled over by police only last Saturday while picking up plantain and other restaurant supplies from Pizza & Café Milano.

Phil Powell, 41, says he’s lost count of the number of times he’s been stopped (Picture: Wales New Service)

Driving back, Powell alleged two ‘confrontational’ officers stopped him on the A487 to Ffos-y-ffin after tailing him in their police van.

Usually, the searches all play out the same way. Powell is pulled over while driving so officers can breathalyse him, check his tyres and his insurance.

But sometimes they become violent. On May 20, 2020, during the throes of lockdown, an officer allegedly ‘kneed him’ and took away his car keys when they stopped and frisked him near the Texaco petrol garage in Llanrhystud.

‘The officer came storming out and asked me why I didn’t pull over immediately. I was perfectly calm but he was in a rage,’ Powell said.

‘This guy was trying to provoke me and suggested there were reports about a white van in the area that’s been suspicious or some nonsense.

‘Before I could produce my license and registration this guy pulled open my door and grabbed my key out – and kneed me while he pushed past.’

Just eight days later, Powell claimed police followed him home and woke up his family at around 1am to accuse him of speeding.

In one incident, police ‘kneed’ Powell, he claimed (Picture: Cambrian News / SWNS)

His wife Samantha said: ‘It’s not nice. The police came to the house at gone midnight and they were banging on the door – we had two young kids at the time who were fast asleep who were woken up by it – which is disturbing for them.

‘And obviously, it’s disturbing for my husband because he didn’t do anything wrong! He’s coming home after a long day in work just to be harassed by the police.

‘It’s just totally unfair – he’s never done anything to deserve that. And it’s always happened!’

‘I know when I’m being pulled over because I’ve been racially profiled,’ Powell added, ‘believe me, I know the difference.

‘When a police officer comes up to you and instantly has an angry look on his face like he wants to fight, you’ll understand what I’m saying.’

He added: ‘I’m 100% sure it’s racial profiling.

‘Now it’s reached a point when, if I’m stopped, I’m just so angry I can’t help but let out my frustration. I’ve been stopped so many times it’s hard to keep track.’

The restaurant owner says he’s speaking out about stop and searches for ‘young Black kids’ (Picture: Cambrian News / SWNS)

In England and Wales, stop and search is the police power to search someone if they have ‘reasonable grounds’ to suspect they’re carrying illegal drugs, a weapon or stolen goods.

Yet a small number are carried out without ‘reasonable grounds’ called Section 60 orders.

Black people are seven times more likely to be searched than white people, according to official statistics.

There were 7.5 stop and searches for every 1,000 white people in 2021 compared with 52.6 for every 1,000 Black people. More than half of the nearly 700,000 strip searches in England and Wales took place in London.

Capturing what Powell said was the ‘staggering frequency’ with which he’s been stopped, Black people are more than eight times as likely to be searched by Dyfed-Powys Police than white people in the force area.

Campaigners have pointed to the disproportionate number of searches in areas with large minority ethnic populations as evidence of a systemic problem.

More than half of police stop-and-frisks took place in London last year (Picture: W8media)

They see stop and search as targeting Black communities, with a police watchdog report highlighting how one Black teen was searched 60 times in two years.

A Dyfed-Powys Police spokesperson said: ‘We are aware of the complainant’s concerns having received his complaint via the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) in May 2020.

‘His complaint was recorded and his concerns were looked into at the time. It was found that on each occasion the complainant was stopped by police there was a legitimate and appropriate reason for doing so.

‘In addition, there was no indication that race played any part in the decision to stop him.

‘Upon conclusion of the complaint, the complainant was given a right to appeal the findings to the IOPC, however, he did not submit an appeal.

‘The recent allegations have not yet been brought to the attention of Dyfed-Powys Police by the complainant, but a member of our Professional Standards Department will be making contact with him to discuss further.’

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For Powell, the harm stop and search inflicts on Black communities needs to be addressed.

‘This isn’t about me. It’s about young Black kids. There is a psychological trauma for them to deal with,’ he added.

‘I’ve dealt with lots of experiences of racism in my life so I’m a bit more emotionally hardened – which I shouldn’t be.

‘But I’ve had young Black kids working here before who always have a story about the police, getting searched and hassled.

‘It needs to stop.’

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‘I’m 100% sure it’s racial profiling.’