More killings are being linked to drugs (Image: Getty)
Weak Labour politicians are “turning a blind eye to drug offences” despite their growing links to murders, critics have blasted.
Analysis by the Office for National Statistics revealed 322 of the 575 killings last year were drug-related, prompting calls for Sir ‘s party to “get out of its comfort zone”.
Some 56% of killings involved drug users or dealers or were linked by detectives to the drugs trade. This eclipsed the previous record of 55% in the year to March 2023.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp told the Daily Express: “We need a zero tolerance to drug dealing and drug taking.
“Weak Labour politicians like Sadiq Khan want to turn a blind eye to drug offences – but these figures show why we must clamp down on it.
“Any drug taking or dealing demands a zero tolerance approach from the police – otherwise, it just feeds wider criminality and undermines law and order.”
Almost 30% of suspected murderers were drug dealers, whilst almost half of suspects were regular drug users. It comes as a record amount of cocaine and cannabis was seized by Border Force last year.
Shocking analysis has revealed how drugs are fuelling violence (Image: Getty)
David Spencer, Head of Crime and Justice at Policy Exchange said: “As a report and polling recently published by Policy Exchange showed, the public want to see a far tougher approach to crime – across every demographic group and amongst supporters of every political party.
“The Government needs to get out of their comfort zone of focusing on crime prevention and trying to rehabilitate criminals and start focusing on taking the fight to the gangs and drug dealers – if they don’t Labour can expect, like their predecessors, to suffer at the ballot box.”
Analysis of murder victims also revealed one in three regularly took drugs, while one in six were drug dealers themselves.
It is the fifth year in a row that over 50% of murders have been linked to drugs. The trend began in April 2019 and will reignite calls for tougher action on drug dealers.
Analysis by this newspaper has revealed over 300 killings have been linked to drugs every year since April 2017.
The record number was between April 2021 and March 2022 – 361.
Home Office figures revealed a record 28 tonnes of cocaine was seized last year as Britain’s drugs crisis intensified.
Border Force and police forces confiscated 28.27 tonnes of cocaine, up 52% on the previous year.
In total, more than £3billion worth of cocaine, heroin, crack cocaine, cannabis and ketamine was taken off the streets in the year to March.
Home Office figures revealed Border Force seized over 74 tonnes of herbal cannabis last year.
Officials said this was the largest quantity since records began in 1973, and a 58% increase from the previous year.
Police chiefs have warned the threat drugs pose to the UK has intensified, with cocaine production at record highs.
And the figures, published by the Home Office, illustrate how organised crime gangs are trying to flood Britain’s streets with cocaine.
Border Force intercepted a record 105.73 tonnes of drugs, which is the “highest weight” seized since records began
A number of factors are behind the explosive growth in consumption of cocaine, including record levels of global production and the drug’s changing image.
While prices have remained virtually unchanged – a gram of cocaine cost £55 in 2023, compared to £50 in 2011 – the purity of cocaine is on the rise, with 73% in 2023 compared to 46% in 2011.
Some 253,000 hectares in Colombia were planted with coca leaf in 2023, a UN report said – up from 230,000 in 2022.
That saw cocaine production soar 53% to 2,644 metric tons, compared with 1,738 metric tons a year earlier.
The Home Office admitted the death toll could rise further over the coming years amid fears crime gangs are trying to import more nitazenes.
Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson said she is “concerned about the growing presence of these drugs” and vowed to take action.