Home Office to Publish Nationalities of Foreign Criminals

The government expects the data to show that most foreign offenders are Albanian, Romanian or Polish, with convictions for drug offences and violent assault.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper delivers her speech during the Labour Party Conference, at the Arena and Convention Centre in Liverpool, England, on Sept. 24, 2024. Peter Byrne/PA Wire

UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has, on Tuesday, ordered the Home Office to release detailed figures on foreign national offenders (FNOs) within the immigration system by the end of the year.

Her decision will require a significant overhaul of the department’s statistical processes after officials initially advised that compiling and publishing such data would be too complex.

For the first time, the Home Office is expected to publish a breakdown of the nationalities of foreign criminals currently awaiting deportation from the UK.

Under existing rules, any foreign national sentenced to 12 months or more in prison faces automatic deportation.

There are currently 19,244 individuals awaiting removal on these grounds, according to the latest figures.

Government sources anticipate that the data will highlight Albanians, Romanians, and Poles as the most represented nationalities among those awaiting deportation.

The most common offences are expected to include drug production and supply, various types of theft and robbery and acts of violent assault.

“Any foreign national who abuses our hospitality by committing serious crimes should be in no doubt—they will face the full force of the law and be removed from the UK at the earliest opportunity.

“We are committed to ensuring the public is better informed about the number of foreign criminals awaiting deportation, their countries of origin, and the crimes they have committed. This is why, for the first time, ministers have directed officials to produce a broader range of data on this group and to publish it in a transparent manner,” a Home Office spokesperson said.

Rising Numbers

Official statistics reveal that the number of FNOs awaiting deportation rose to 19,244 by the end of 2024, up from 17,907 when the Conservative government left office in July, and significantly higher than the 14,640 recorded at the end of 2022.

This increase comes despite 3,594 offenders being deported during Labour’s first nine months in office—a 16 percent rise compared to the same period the previous year.

The Home Office is currently upgrading its management information systems to improve how data on FNOs is recorded and reported.

Once completed, officials say the new system will allow for more detailed and accurate statistical releases, potentially starting by the end of 2025.

Until then, further breakdowns—such as offence types and nationalities—will be published as ‘experimental statistics’.

Political Pressure

The announcement follows sustained pressure from opposition figures to disclose more information on migrant crime.

Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick welcomed the news, adding that the British public “deserve the truth about migrant crime and the costs of low-skilled immigration.”

“The cover-up is coming to an end. We’ll finally see the hard reality—that mass migration is fuelling crime across our country,” he said.

The Conservative minister has long campaigned for greater transparency on this issue.

Last year, he proposed an amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill aimed at mandating the publication of such data—a move backed by 25 MPs, including senior Conservatives Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg and Sir Robert Buckland. However, the amendment was not selected for debate.

“Following over a year of pressure from campaigners—including my own attempt to change the law—it appears there’s been a breakthrough.” Jenrick said on Monday.

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp added: “Labour has clearly buckled under the pressure we applied to force disclosure of this data. We tabled an amendment to the current Bill that would have achieved exactly this.”

Home Office officials have cautioned that detailed breakdowns will depend on the successful completion of system upgrades and the resolution of data recording gaps.

Quicker Deportation Pledge

Foreign inmates make up around 12 percent of the prison population across England and Wales.

Last month the government announced a new £5 million investment in prisons and recruitment of specialist frontline staff to 80 jails to speed up the removal of FNOs.

Prisons minister James Timpson said it was unacceptable for taxpayers to fund the detention of foreign criminals.

Since elected into government, Labour removed 2,580 foreign criminals, a 23 percent increase on the same period 12 months prior.

“Under this government removals are up by nearly a quarter. We’re now taking action to ensure this is done swifter, easing pressure on overcrowded prisons and on the public purse,” said Timpson.

PA Media contributed to this report.