Home Office drug seizure figures were 'highly selective'

The chair of the UK Statistics Authority has accused the Home Office of being "highly selective" in its use of drugs seizure figures to "show the Border Agency in a good light". Sir Michael Scholar has written to Home Office Minister Damian Green to seek reassurances that figures, published last Monday, were not released to "generate positive news coverage". He said that if this was the case it would be "highly corrosive and damaging". It comes amid attacks on border policy. Brodie Clark resigned as head of the UK border force last week amid a row with Home Secretary Theresa May over the relaxation of passport controls during a pilot scheme last summer. He is due to give evidence later to MPs on the Home Affairs Select Committee. Mr Clark has previously denied extending the pilot improperly and accused Mrs May of blaming him for "political convenience". Mrs May, meanwhile, claims he went beyond what she had agreed to. 'Drop in seizures' Sir Michael said the release of the drug seizure figures in question came ahead of National Statistics data showing a drop in the volume of drug seizures. He described the publication of the figures as "irregular and inconsistent" with the code of practice and the Ministerial Code and said it should not happen again. The UK Border Agency released figures on 4 November, for publication last Monday, showing that border officials seized more cocaine and almost double the amount of heroin in the last six months than in the whole of the previous year. But three days later, the official Home Office Statistical Bulletin showed the amount of cocaine seized by border officials in England and Wales had actually fallen by a quarter in 2010/11 compared with 2009/10, and the amount of heroin seized had halved. In his letter to Mr Green, Sir Michael wrote: "The Statistical Bulletin makes reference to a fall in the volume of seizures of Class A drugs in the most recent period. "This contrasts with the November 4 press release, which highlights a large increase in seizures, albeit for a different time period. "The 4 November press release, which appears not to have been published on either the Home Office or the UK Border Agency websites, and seems to have been distributed only to a select group of journalists, makes no reference to the forthcoming Statistical Bulletin. "It was, I understand, produced without any involvement by, and without the knowledge of, the department's statisticians; and it is highly selective in its choice of statistics, in order, it seems, to show the UK Border Agency in a good light."