Drug Seizures by Scottish Police Forces, 2010-11

1. Introduction

This bulletin presents figures for drug seizures made by police forces in Scotland in 2010-11. The statistics in this bulletin relate to drugs controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, which divides drugs into three classes A, B and C. For the purpose of this bulletin, the drug classifications at the end of the reporting period, March 2011, have been applied to the data. The publication contains data for 2010-11 only.

The previous Drug Seizures by Scottish Police Forces bulletin was published by the Scottish Government in June 2008 and contained data from 1996-97 to 2006-07. This bulletin published drug seizures data for 2006-07 for the first time and revised data for 2005-06. There has since been a break in the series and as a result, there are no data available for the three year period 2007-08 to 2009-10. Additionally, due to the break in the series, the data for 2010-11 are not directly comparable with the data for 1996-97 to 2006-07.

There are two statutory requirements for the UK to provide data on drug seizures, which are managed by the UK Focal Point on Drugs, based at the UK Government Department of Health. The UK Focal Point on Drugs collate drug seizures statistics from England & Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), and submit the data to the European Monitoring Centre on Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

The minimum data requirements to satisfy these two obligations are to submit data on the number of drug seizures and the quantity of drugs seized for each of the following types of drugs: cocaine, crack, ecstasy-type substances, heroin, LSD, methylamphetamine, amphetamines, herbal cannabis, cannabis resin and cannabis plants. In addition to these ten drugs, this bulletin contains seizures data on methadone, morphine, barbiturates, anabolic steroids, diazepam, GHB, ketamine, temazepam and other benzodiazepines.

The future of the Drug Seizures by Scottish Police Forces bulletin is currently being considered as part of a wider Justice Analytical Services Statistics Review. The findings of the review, as well as the statutory requirements for the UK to provide data on drug seizures, will determine the future frequency and content of the Drug Seizures by Scottish Police Forces bulletin.