Foreign nationals are jailed at a rate 27% higher than British nationals, according to government data analysis.
The first “Crime Correlation Table by Nationality” project carried out by telegraph paper To understand the crime potential of different ethnic groups in the UK, the paper analyzed the number of people in prison by passport held and compared it with data from the 2021 Census.
The analysis found that for every 10,000 immigrants living in the UK, there are 18.2 prisoners, compared to 14 for every 10,000 British nationals. This means that foreign nationals are 27 percent more likely to be incarcerated. However, when we focus on specific ethnic groups, the differences become even more pronounced.
Albanian immigrants were by far the most likely to be imprisoned, at a rate of 232.33 per 10,000, or 1 in 50. Second on the list are people from Kosovo (150.23 per 10,000 people), followed by Vietnamese (148.88), Algerians (124.41), Jamaicans (110.77), Eritreans (110.7), Iraqis (104.43) and Somalis ( 100.37). The figures mean these ethnic groups are at least seven times more likely to be imprisoned than British nationals.
But while some ethnic groups actually do better than indigenous peoples when it comes to avoiding crime, Germans are the least likely of any group to be imprisoned, at just 4.68 per 10,000 people. This was followed by immigrants from Italy (4.96), India (6.24), Greece (6.36), the United States (7.27), Sri Lanka (8.17), France (8.64) and China (9.39).
The findings suggest that governments may be adjusting their immigration policies to limit immigration from countries with populations that are more likely to commit crimes.
Robert Jenrick, Conservative leadership candidate and former immigration secretary, said: “This analysis confirms what people have long felt: some nationalities are better than others. “There is a high possibility that they will continue to commit serious crimes.” This reiterates the need for a more tightly controlled immigration system, including stricter security checks on nationalities linked to crimes in the UK. ”
The project, carried out by British newspapers, has also doubled down on calls for the British government to finally start publishing full statistics on immigration and crime.
Leading the charge is Conservative MP Neil O'Brien, who previously introduced a bill that would require the government to publish the asylum, visa status and nationality of all criminals convicted in the previous year. was.
“It is disgraceful that the government is refusing to release much of the information it has on this issue. It should be made available to the public so that an informed debate can take place.”
“The Home Office knows the immigration status of prisoners and whether they are in the country legally or illegally, but does not make this public. However, it has not been made public.
“Overall, the debate on immigration is hampered by a lack of data that governments could easily publish but choose not to publish, including on the impact on public services and spending. A particularly bad example is data that they refuse to disclose.”
A government spokesperson said: “The government is committed to providing justice for victims and safe streets for communities. There is no doubt that this law will be enforced against foreign nationals who commit crimes. We will seek deportation if necessary.”
