Almost half of Scotland's foreign prisoners come from just three countries

Telegraph

4 days ago

Criminals from just three countries account for nearly half of foreign prisoners in Scotland's jails, according to an analysis of official figures that has prompted claims the immigration system is a 'farce'.
Stephen Kerr, a Conservative MSP, obtained Scottish Prison Service (SPS) data which showed there were 653 foreign nationals in jails north of the border on May 22 this year.
Almost half the total came from just three countries – Albania (94), Poland (92) and Vietnam (81).
Mr Kerr also used data from the 2022 census to warn that imprisonment rates from four countries were 'absurdly' high.
More than a quarter (26.3 per cent) of Eritreans living in Scotland are estimated to be in prison, he said, and more than one in five (21.9 per cent) Somalians.
Around one in six Albanians (15.8 per cent) and Vietnamese (15.2 per cent) people living in Scotland are estimated to be imprisoned, based on a comparison of census and SPS data.
The analysis found no other foreign national group had an imprisonment rate of more than two per cent.
'This undermines SNP narrative'
SNP ministers have argued that Scotland needs higher immigration with a separate visa system to address work and skills shortages.
But unveiling his analysis of the SPS figures, Mr Kerr said: 'One in four Eritreans, one in five Somalians, and one in six Albanians and Vietnamese in Scotland are currently in prison. This is obviously absurd.
'Something has clearly gone wrong when some nationalities are committing crime and going to prison at such an extremely high rate. It undermines the SNP narrative that all immigration is good for Scotland, when it clearly is not.
'The cost is twofold. First, the extra crime caused by these foreign nationals comes at a significant cost. And secondly, the taxpayer has to foot the bill for keeping every one of these 653 foreign nationals in prison for months or years. This farce is costing our country dearly.'
Mr Kerr published his analysis after the SPS released more than 300 criminals early in February and March this year to ease chronic prison overcrowding.
They were freed thanks to new legislation from the SNP-run Scottish Government, which changed the release point for those serving prison sentences of less than four years from 50 per cent of their sentence to 40 per cent.
Almost half (152) of the 312 prisoners freed had been jailed for violent crime, while a further 69 had committed 'crimes against society' and 52 were in jail for crimes of dishonesty.
Nigel Farage claimed this week that high levels of immigration into the UK were to blame for a sharp rise in rapes and sexual assaults. Data published on Monday showed that 40 per cent of people charged for sexual offences in London were foreign nationals.
Tories' human rights law call
The Tories have called for human rights law to be disapplied from all immigration cases and for the UK Government to have the power to deport all foreign criminals.
Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, has said she believes the UK will probably need to leave the European Convention on Human Rights because it has become a 'sword used to attack democratic decisions' and to halt attempts to remove illegal migrants and foreign criminals.
Mr Kerr's analysis in Scotland examined records from the 2022 census showing the number of foreign passport holders in the country, and compared them with the SPS figures on the nationalities of inmates.
There were 594 people with Albanian passports in Scotland recorded in the census, meaning the 94 imprisoned would represent 15.8 per cent of the total if the Albanian population had not changed.
His analysis also compared the 81 Vietnamese prisoners with the 533 passport holders recorded from that country in the census. The other two countries with high imprisonment rates, both in East Africa, had much smaller populations in Scotland.
There were seven Somali prisoners in Scotland in May his year, compared to 32 passport holders recorded from that country in the census. For Eritrea, the figures were five and 19 respectively.
A Home Office spokesman said: 'We will always do everything in our power to ensure that foreign nationals who commit serious crimes in our country are not left free on our streets after they complete their sentence, including seeking their deportation from the UK at the earliest possible opportunity.
'In the first year this Government was in charge, 5,179 foreign criminals were removed from the UK, a 14 per cent increase on the same period twelve months prior.'
A Scottish Government spokesman said: 'The Scottish Government has no powers to deport prisoners, this remains exclusively a matter for the UK Government.
'This is an issue we have consistently raised with the UK Government and we are actively engaging with the Home Office to support removals which would reduce the foreign national offender prison population.
'We would also support further measures by the UK Government to prevent foreign criminals from entering the UK. This would deter and prevent abuse, fraud and criminal activity, including terrorism, human trafficking and other serious offences.'