Drug Seizures and Offender Characteristics, 2024-25

Introduction

This bulletin presents Official Statistics on the number and type of drug seizures made by Police Scotland during 2024-25. It does not include information on drugs seized by the UK Border Force or British Transport Police, or as a result of Police Scotland activity which led to drugs being seized out-with Scotland. The associated tables referenced throughout this bulletin can be downloaded from Drug seizures and offender characteristics statistics - gov.scot (www.gov.scot).

The data collection process for this bulletin is split into two parts, looking at seizures relating to drug supply and drug possession crimes separately. In 2024-25, data on both drug possession and drug supply were collected using a random sample of 400 crime records for each (resulting in a total sample of 800 records). These were stratified by police division and for supply crimes by crime type, reflecting the distribution of drug crimes across Scotland. For drug possession, this methodology has not changed compared to previous years. However, for crimes related to drugs supply this is a new methodology and means that 2024-25 data on drug supply seizures is not comparable with previous years. Data on the quantities of drugs seized from supply crimes prior to 2024-25 can be found in the Drug Seizures and Offender Characteristics, 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 publication.

The methodology used to collect data on drug seizures should be considered a temporary approach, the aim of which is to provide users with an updated broad estimate of the type and quantity of drugs seized by Police Scotland. Analysts within Justice Analytical Services and Police Scotland will continue to consider ways to improve the data collection process for these statistics, following the rollout of the new national IT system for recording crime.

Prior to 2024-25, Police Scotland manually checked drug supply-based crimes each year, providing the Scottish Government with details of drug class, type and quantity for each of these crimes. However, the manual review of several thousand drug supply records each year is no longer considered an effective use of policing resource, and in line with the Scottish Government statistics group strategic priority of streamlining what we do and minimising work that adds less value, Justice Analytical Services have instead produced an estimate of the type and quantity of drugs seized from these crimes in 2024-25, based on a random sample. To make the most effective use of analytical resource, and to provide users with the most up-to-date estimates, the years of 2022-23 and 2023-24 have been ommitted.

The information from both samples is then used to estimate the number of seizures and quantities seized in relation to both supply and possession crimes for the most commonly identified drug types in Scotland. Care should be taken when using these estimates, particularly in relation to supply crimes. For supply crimes, the estimate has been calculated using a combination of the largest 5% of drug quantities seized and the average quantity seized within a sample of records. However, due to the nature of these crimes it is possible the sample could be excluding multiple large seizures, which would result in an under-estimate of the total quantity of drugs seized.

For the drug types where quantities seized from both supply and possession-related crimes can be estimated, a figure for total amount seized has been produced by adding the estimated quantity seized from supply crimes to the estimated quantity seized from possession crimes.

As well as using the possession sample to record information on the drugs seized from crimes of possession, information about the offender and the circumstances of the crime has also been recorded so that additional analysis on offender characteristics can be presented.

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 Public Health England. The UK Focal Point on Drugs collate drug seizure statistics from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland for the UK Focal Point’s annual report. This is then submitted to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). These data inform the UNODC’s annual World Drugs Report.

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.

The statistics on drug seizures are used to inform the Communities National Outcome – ‘We live in communities that are inclusive, empowered, resilient and safe’ as well as the Scottish Government’s Justice Vision. These statistics are also used by a wide range of stakeholders to monitor trends, for policy research and development, and for research purposes.

The ‘Drug Seizures and Offender Characteristics’ annual statistical bulletin series forms part of a series of bulletins produced by the Scottish Government on the criminal justice system which can be found at: Scottish Government statistics - gov.scot (www.gov.scot).

An Official Statistics Publication for Scotland

These statistics are official statistics. Official statistics are statistics that are produced by crown bodies, those acting on behalf of crown bodies, or those specified in statutory orders, as defined in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007.

Scottish Government statistics are regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR). OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to.

More information about Scottish Government statistics is available on the Scottish Government website.