Foreign criminals’ data to be released by year-end

THE UK government will publish the nationalities and offences of foreign criminals for the first time by the end of the year.

Home secretary Yvette Cooper has reportedly instructed officials to release the data, which includes the types of crimes committed.

The BBC reported that more than 19,000 foreign offenders were awaiting deportation at the end of last year, up from almost 18,000 when the Conservatives left office.

A Home Office source told the BBC the government wants to better inform the public about the number of foreign criminals, their countries of origin, and the offences they have committed.

The source said: "Not only are we deporting foreign criminals at a rate never seen when Chris Philp and Robert Jenrick were in charge at the Home Office, but we will also be publishing far more information about that cohort of offenders than the Tories ever did."

The Conservatives said Labour had "buckled" under pressure to release the figures. But government sources told the BBC the move was possible only because Cooper ordered a system overhaul.

Foreign nationals sentenced to 12 months or more are automatically deported. Those with shorter sentences can be deported if deemed not conducive to the public good.

The BBC reported that the top nationalities are expected to be Albanian, Romanian, and Polish, with common offences including drug production, theft, robbery, and violent assault.

Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick welcomed the move, saying: "We will finally see the hard reality that mass migration is fuelling crime across our country. Frankly, the public deserved to know this long ago."