Drug seizures by police and border guards have sunk to the lowest level in nearly 15 years — despite fears the trade in illicit substances is fuelling violent crime, official figures revealed today.
The Home Office statistics show there were 135,728 drug seizures in England and Wales in the year to the end of March, down on the previous year. It is also the smallest total since 2004, when there were 107,359.
They fell by two per cent last year to just under 98,000. That appears likely to reflect a drop in searches of individuals using cannabis for personal use.
But the statistics also show the amount of cocaine seized fell by 39 per cent last year — even though it is one of the key substances behind the “county lines” drug trade blamed by police for rising violent crime.
Only 3,359 kg of cocaine were seized by the police and Border Force, compared with 5,516 kg the year before. The amount of heroin seized was also down, by 37 per cent.
Seizures of crack cocaine were up, however, with 64 kg taken in 2017/18, 25 kg more than in 2016/17 — a rise of 64 per cent. Seizures of ecstasy and LSD also increased marginally.
Today’s report says changes in the number of seizures does not necessarily reflect altering levels of drug use, and that the total is influenced by police activity and recording practices. That will raise fears that lower police numbers could have contributed to the drop.
