Comprehensive new NAO report on foreign offenders says too little progress has been made in removing them
In a report released today, the National Audit Office (NAO) has said that the Home Office has made slower progress than expected in deporting foreign criminals.
The 52-page report can be read here.
The report found that the number of foreign nationals in prison in the UK increased only slightly from 10,231 in 2006 to 10,649 in 2014, yet a tenfold increase in the number of staff working on such cases and increased Home Office powers had not been reflected in numbers of foreign offenders being removed.
The NAO says after an initial surge in the number removed from 2,856 in 2006-07 to 5,613 in 2008-09, removal numbers have declined to 5,097 in 2013-14.
However, whilst removals have fallen since 2008-09, they report noted that they have increased 12 per cent over the last 2 years, largely because of a change in the Home Office's approach to deportation.
The report recognizes the obstacles to removals and stated: "Removing FNOs [foreign national offenders] from the UK continues to be inherently difficult and public bodies involved have been hampered in their efforts by a range of barriers, although poor administration has still played a part. The number and speed of removals can be restricted by law – typically the European Convention on Human Rights and EU law on the free movement of persons. Until recently, FNOs had 17 grounds for appeal that could delay removal. Administrative factors also form barriers with some FNOs exploiting legal and medical obstacles to removal. Many overseas countries are unwilling to receive FNOs back home. However, lack of joint working and administration errors have often led to missed opportunities for removal."
The Home Office says it believes that a key barrier to removal will be overcome as it implements the 2014 Immigration Act, with "resource intensive" appeals expected to drop significantly as the Act reduces the number of rights of appeal open to foreign offenders from 17 to 4.
In media coverage, the Telegraph highlighted that the report found police are failing to check whether seven out of 10 foreign suspects have criminal records in their native countries, which experts said was a major blind spot in the criminal justice system.
The Telegraph also highlighted the financial issues, with foreign criminals costing up to £1 billion a year, including £81 million in legal aid, £148 million in policing and £401 million in prison costs.
The Guardian highlighted how the NAO found one in six foreign offenders living in the community have absconded, including 58 dangerous individuals who have been missing since 2010.
BBC News led with the report's finding that the Government is simply "deporting too few foreign criminals".
In a press release, the head of the NAO was quoted as saying: "It is no easy matter to manage foreign national offenders in the UK and to deport those who have completed their sentences. However, too little progress has been made, despite the increased resources and effort devoted to this problem. The Government's focus on preventative measures and early action is promising, but it has only just started to exploit these options. It needs to build on the momentum of its recent action plan, in particular taking advantage of relatively inexpensive and straightforward opportunities to make progress."
David Hanson MP, the shadow immigration minister, was quoted by the Telegraph as saying: "David Cameron made a commitment to reduce the number of foreign prisoners and to deport more of them, but yet again he has failed to deliver."