LONDON (AP) — American civil rights activist Rev. Jesse Jackson is starting a group in the U.K. to oppose what he calls the abuse of police powers to stop and search people.

The group, called StopWatch, wants to stop police from disproportionately stopping and searching ethnic minorities.

Last week, Britain’s Equality and Human Rights Commission published figures saying 15 percent of those stopped and searched by police were black. Black people comprise 2 to 3 percent of the population.

Members of StopWatch, including activists and academics, aim to work with government to ensure that recently announced policing reforms are fair.

Launching his group Monday, Jackson called for an end to policies that lead to racial profiling on both sides of the Atlantic.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.