Tensions between the police and Asian youths are said to be at similar levels to those seen between officers and the Black community at the time of the Brixton riots, research published today claims.

The Policing for London study found young Asians living in deprived areas were more likely to come into contact with the police.

It found that the number of black and Asian people stopped by police over the last five years has grown - despite an overall reduction in the number of recorded stop and searches.

Commissioned after the publication of the MacPherson report into the murder of black teenager Stephen Lawrence, the report is the most in-depth analysis of policing in the capital for 20 years.

Although the study looked specifically at the Metropolitan Police, its authors said its findings applied to forces across the UK.

Researchers from the London School of Economics believed the central problem is that there is a "legacy of discrimination and over-policing" which continues to affect police relations with ethnic minorities.

"Problems persist in the relationship between the police and black people which are now starting to be replicated with other groups," the report said.

The Metropolitan Police, which is set to bring back its controversial stop and search policy, was in danger of repeating the mistakes that led to poor relations with the Black community, the report concluded.

"The danger of replicating the problems in police relations with black people is much greater with the Pakistani and Bangladeshi groups than with sections of the Indian community," said the study.

"Black, Pakistani and Bangladeshi groups have higher than average proportions of young people, and higher than average people unemployed or in low-paid occupations. Young men from these groups would continue to be over-represented in the stop and search statistics.''