Black people are more than five times as likely to experience forceful tactics by police in Dthe Dyfed-Powys force region as white people, new figures suggest.

The Race Equality Foundation said the data exposes "systemic racism and bias in policing that demands immediate action", and called for scrutiny of racial profiling and unfair police practices.

The National Police Chiefs Council said it remains committed to the Police Race Action Plan, which aims to build "an inclusive, anti-racist organisation" and address black people's negative policing experiences.

Home Office figures show Dyfed-Powys Police used forceful tactics, including restraint, using a conducted energy device, such as a Taser, or other equipment 157 times against black people and 10,474 times against white people in the year to March.

More than one tactic can be used in one incident, and one person can be involved in multiple incidents throughout the year.

Census figures from 2021 estimate 1,286 black people and 501,963 white people live in the Dyfed-Powys area of Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Powys.

It means police used a forceful approach approximately 122 times per 1,000 black people, compared to just 21 per 1,000 white people, suggesting black people were 5.9 times more likely to experience such tactics.

Across Wales and England, a black person was 3.4 times more likely to experience forceful policing than a white person.

Jabeer Butt, chief executive of the Race Equality Foundation, said the higher prevalence of forceful policing against black people is "incredibly troubling".

He added: "Today’s data reveals systemic racism and bias in policing that demands immediate action. We have to scrutinise why black people face higher rates of police encounters and use of force.

"Racial profiling and unfair police practices need to be examined and addressed. If bold steps aren't taken to correct this racial inequality, it would be a moral failure and breach of the consent and trust placed in policing."

Assistant commissioner Matt Twist, the NPCC lead for self defence and restraint, said the NPCC and College of Policing are "working to understand" racial disproportionality better.

"We remain committed to driving forward the Police Race Action Plan, of which close scrutiny around the police use of powers is a central part," he added.

A total of 960,000 forceful tactics were used by police nationally in 2022-23 – up seven per cent from 890,000 the year before.

Of these, 11,052 were conducted by Dyfed-Powys Police.