§ Mr. Harry GreenwayTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many seizures of(a) soft drugs and (b) hard drugs have been made from private dwellings in each of the past three years; what was the estimated street value of the seizures in each case; and if he will make a statement. [15461]
§ Mr. MacleanNo distinction is made between "soft" and "hard" drugs in drugs seizure statistics. National statistics on drug seizures are produced on the basis of class and type of drug. Seizure figures for each class for 1993,1994 and 1995 are as follows:
1993 1994 1995 Class A 12,102 13,876 17,344 Class B 77,068 95,997 101,445 Class C 1,129 1,627 1,867 Figures for 1996 are not yet available.
Information relating to the place where drugs have been seized has not been collected at a national level since 1992. The street values of drugs seized are also not collected. Although they provide a useful operational tool for police officers, they are too subjective and liable to fluctuation to be included in national statistics.