This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Increase in drug seizures
14/09/2005
Confirmation of a 46 per cent increase in the number of drug seizures between 2000 and 2003 was welcomed today by Deputy Justice Minister Hugh Henry.
Commenting on publication of Summary Home Office Statistics on drug seizures and known drug offenders in Scotland in 2003, Mr Henry said:
"Drugs continue to blight too many lives and these figures are a reminder of the scale of those problems. But there is encouragement to be taken from some of these figures too.
"The 46% increase in the number of drug seizures between 2000 and 2003 is evidence of the Scottish Police Service's commitment to combating the principal serious crime threat to Scottish communities. The figures published today show the historic position in 2003 but we know the position is improving further.
"In the first six months of 2004-05, the SDEA seized more Class A drugs than in the whole of 2003-04 and over the 12 months - April 2004 to March 2005 - seized Class A drugs with a potential street value of over £22.3 million.
"Even more recently the 'Drug Dealers Don't Care' Campaign we launched earlier this year produced a massive four-fold increase in actionable calls from the public and led to the seizure of about £1.5 million of drugs and cash. Individuals, communities and the authorities standing up for their communities and fighting back against the activities of the dealers.
"While the sentencing in individual cases is entirely a matter for the judiciary, it is encouraging to note for example the increase in those dealers being sentenced to more than seven years in jail - it is only right that those convicted of serious crimes like drug dealing serve serious time for it.
"And while these figures relate to those whose main offence is possession or dealing drugs, the plain fact that there is a great deal of other crime associated with drug misuse. Many acts of shoplifting, muggings, and other crimes are carried out by drug misusers desperate to feed their habits. Taking out the major dealers is part of the solution but we need also to break the links between addiction and offending.
"That is why dealing with drug misusing offenders remains a priority, reducing levels of addiction thereby reducing associated levels of acquisitive crime. We have put in place a range of treatment interventions at the various stages of the criminal justice system for dealing with individuals who commit crime to fund a drug addiction. But we can do even more.
"Hand in hand with treatment for addicts will be a stronger partnership between the criminal justice and health services to get a firm grip on drug-related offending and action to loosen the effect drugs has on our communities.
"I expect to be able to make announcement shortly on how and where we will invest a further £2 million in improving the effective links between health and justice services in tackling this problem."
The related statistical publication - the Home Office's 2003 statistics on drug offenders and drug seizures for Scotland - can be viewed on the Drug Misuse Information Scotland website at:
www.drugmisuse.isdscotland.org/publications/abstracts/ho_drugoffsez03.htm