Annual Arrests by Immigration Status 2018–2025
Publication Number: 1588
FOI Number: 22692
Information Request
Please provide data on the number of individuals arrested in your force area between 2018 - 2025, per year, where their immigration status was recorded as “illegal”, “refugee”, “irregular”, “undocumented”, “asylum seeker”, or “failed asylum seeker” and total number of arrests.
FOI Duty
First Duty – Essex Police holds some of the information relating to your request
Second Duty – See below
Fact - It is not possible to extract and verify all the data in your request
Exemption - Section 12(1)
Refusal - Section 17(5) of FOIA
Reasoning – Essex Police are unable to provide a comprehensive data report to meet this request as the data is not available in a readily extractable format, nor is it held on a central log.
With regard to your question, Essex Police is unable to provide data on the numbers of individuals arrested between 2018 and 2025 by suspect immigration status as this information is neither routinely recorded or readily extractable from our recording systems. There is no flag or indicator for suspect immigration status and relevant information may or may not be recorded in the investigation notes if this is deemed to be of significance to the investigation. Therefore to attempt to answer this question would require a manual review of each arrest recorded in the desired time period to ascertain whether any details of the suspect’s immigration status was recorded and collating any results found into a bespoke report.
To establish if information is held would, therefore, exceed the time and cost limits under the FOIA and would qualify as the creation of data as the results cannot be processed by means of purely sorting or filtering data sources or running a database query tool. There is no requirement under the act to create data purely to answer FOI requests.
Duty to assist – When refusing a request on cost (Section 12(1)/12(2)), outside of the act and in effort to assist we can provide the following
Essex Police can however provide the following information on the annual numbers of arrests by self-defined suspect nationality and ethnicity between 2022 and 2025 from a previous FOI request:
Caveat: The information is correct as at 20 August 2025
Notes
- The suspect nationality is self-reported by the suspect at the time of arrest and is not verified as accurate. Therefore the figures will include British nationals, foreign nationals and holders of dual nationality.
- The suspect ethnicity is self-defined by the suspect at the time of arrest.
- (blank) = no nationality or ethnicity information was recorded at the time of arrest.
Numbers of Arrests by Self-Defined Nationality and Ethnicity - 2022
|
Self-Reported Nationality |
Total |
|
Afghan |
88 |
|
Albanian |
210 |
|
Algerian |
27 |
|
American |
69 |
|
Angolan |
8 |
|
Anguillan |
1 |
|
Antiguan |
4 |
|
Argentinean |
1 |
|
Australian |
23 |
|
Austrian |
9 |
|
Azerbaijani |
3 |
|
Bahraini |
2 |
|
Bangladeshi |
130 |
|
Barbadian |
4 |
|
Belarusian |
2 |
|
Belgian |
24 |
|
Bermudan |
12 |
|
Bolivian |
1 |
|
Bosnian |
4 |
|
Botswanan |
3 |
|
Brazilian |
79 |
|
British |
60499 |
|
Bruneian |
0 |
|
Bulgarian |
97 |
|
Burmese |
4 |
|
Burundian |
1 |
|
Cameroonian |
3 |
|
Canadian |
4 |
|
Central African |
14 |
|
Chadian |
2 |
|
Chinese |
25 |
|
Colombian |
4 |
|
Congolese |
5 |
|
Congolese (DRC) |
2 |
|
Croat |
1 |
|
Cuban |
0 |
|
Cypriot |
23 |
|
Czech |
42 |
|
Danish |
6 |
|
Djiboutian |
2 |
|
Dominican (Republic) |
5 |
|
Dutch |
14 |
|
Dutch Antillean |
4 |
|
Ecuadorean |
7 |
|
Egyptian |
24 |
|
England |
546 |
|
Eritrean |
11 |
|
Estonian |
6 |
|
Ethiopian |
0 |
|
Fijian |
7 |
|
Filipino |
19 |
|
Finnish |
1 |
|
French |
26 |
|
Gabonese |
0 |
|
Gambian |
8 |
|
Georgian |
2 |
|
German |
25 |
|
Ghanaian |
65 |
|
Greek |
15 |
|
Grenadian |
2 |
|
Guinea - Bissaun |
2 |
|
Guinean |
1 |
|
Guyanese |
0 |
|
Hungarian |
51 |
|
Indian |
144 |
|
Indonesian |
0 |
|
Iranian |
52 |
|
Iraqi |
32 |
|
Irish |
202 |
|
Irish Republic |
0 |
|
Israeli |
0 |
|
Italian |
75 |
|
Jamaican |
34 |
|
Jordanian |
0 |
|
Kazakh |
0 |
|
Kenyan |
37 |
|
Kittitian |
1 |
|
Kosovan |
16 |
|
Kuwaiti |
12 |
|
Latvian |
87 |
|
Lebanese |
2 |
|
Liberian |
3 |
|
Libyan |
4 |
|
Lithuanian |
278 |
|
Macedonian |
1 |
|
Malawian |
0 |
|
Malaysian |
0 |
|
Malian |
5 |
|
Mauritanian |
4 |
|
Mauritian |
5 |
|
Mexican |
2 |
|
Moldovian |
14 |
|
Mongolian |
1 |
|
Monserraitian |
0 |
|
Moroccan |
20 |
|
Mozambican |
0 |
|
Nepalese |
5 |
|
New Zealander |
3 |
|
Nicaraguan |
2 |
|
Nigerian (Nigerian) |
245 |
|
Nigerien (Niger) |
1 |
|
Northern Ireland |
16 |
|
Norwegian |
3 |
|
Pakistani |
73 |
|
Palestinian |
2 |
|
Peruvian |
1 |
|
Polish |
462 |
|
Portuguese |
110 |
|
Refused |
8 |
|
Romanian |
615 |
|
Russian |
12 |
|
Rwandan |
3 |
|
Salvadorean |
4 |
|
Sammarinese |
1 |
|
Scotland |
11 |
|
Senegalese |
1 |
|
Serbian |
6 |
|
Seychellois |
0 |
|
Sierra Leonean |
13 |
|
Slovakian |
17 |
|
Slovenian |
3 |
|
Somali |
42 |
|
South African |
53 |
|
Spanish |
22 |
|
Sri Lankan |
52 |
|
St. Lucian |
13 |
|
Sudanese |
36 |
|
Swazi |
1 |
|
Swedish |
5 |
|
Swiss |
3 |
|
Syrian |
14 |
|
Taiwanese |
0 |
|
Tanzanian |
1 |
|
Thai |
23 |
|
Togoiese |
0 |
|
Trinidadian / Tobagonian |
12 |
|
Tunisian |
6 |
|
Turkish |
110 |
|
Ugandan |
6 |
|
Ukrainian |
20 |
|
Unknown |
371 |
|
Uzbek |
2 |
|
Venezuelan |
1 |
|
Vietnamese |
5 |
|
Wales |
10 |
|
Yemeni |
1 |
|
Zambian |
26 |
|
Zimbabwean |
78 |
|
(blank) |
23133 |
|
Grand Total |
88973 |
|
Self-Defined Ethnicity |
Total |
|
African |
1355 |
|
Any Other Asian Background |
741 |
|
Any Other Black Background |
1593 |
|
Any Other Ethnic Group |
321 |
|
Any Other Mixed Background |
881 |
|
Any Other White Background |
2808 |
|
Arab |
128 |
|
Bangladeshi |
276 |
|
Caribbean |
441 |
|
Chinese |
37 |
|
Gypsy or Irish Traveller |
141 |
|
Indian |
376 |
|
Not stated |
18442 |
|
Pakistani |
263 |
|
White And Asian |
127 |
|
White And Black African |
200 |
|
White And Black Caribbean |
384 |
|
White British |
56521 |
|
White Irish |
378 |
|
(blank) |
3560 |
|
Grand Total |
88973 |
Numbers of Arrests by Self-Defined Nationality and Ethnicity - 2023
|
Self-Reported Nationality |
Total |
|
Afghan |
65 |
|
Albanian |
268 |
|
Algerian |
38 |
|
American |
52 |
|
Angolan |
26 |
|
Argentinean |
4 |
|
Australian |
22 |
|
Austrian |
6 |
|
Azerbaijani |
1 |
|
Bahamian |
5 |
|
Bahraini |
1 |
|
Bangladeshi |
78 |
|
Barbadian |
4 |
|
Belarusian |
10 |
|
Belgian |
17 |
|
Bermudan |
15 |
|
Bolivian |
1 |
|
Bosnian |
8 |
|
Botswanan |
3 |
|
Brazilian |
48 |
|
British |
55959 |
|
Bruneian |
0 |
|
Bulgarian |
68 |
|
Burmese |
5 |
|
Burundian |
2 |
|
Cameroonian |
15 |
|
Canadian |
6 |
|
Central African |
8 |
|
Channel Islands |
3 |
|
Chilean |
2 |
|
Chinese |
16 |
|
Chinese (Hong Kong) |
1 |
|
Colombian |
4 |
|
Congolese |
13 |
|
Congolese (DRC) |
5 |
|
Croat |
1 |
|
Cuban |
1 |
|
Cypriot |
7 |
|
Czech |
37 |
|
Danish |
4 |
|
Djiboutian |
1 |
|
Dominican (Republic) |
0 |
|
Dutch |
24 |
|
Dutch Antillean |
0 |
|
Ecuadorean |
8 |
|
Egyptian |
18 |
|
England |
408 |
|
Eritrean |
12 |
|
Estonian |
8 |
|
Ethiopian |
7 |
|
Fijian |
3 |
|
Filipino |
12 |
|
Finnish |
1 |
|
French |
32 |
|
Gambian |
13 |
|
Georgian |
9 |
|
German |
17 |
|
Ghanaian |
73 |
|
Gibraltan |
0 |
|
Greek |
18 |
|
Grenadian |
2 |
|
Guinea - Bissaun |
2 |
|
Guinean |
13 |
|
Guyanese |
3 |
|
Haitian |
0 |
|
Honduran |
1 |
|
Hungarian |
20 |
|
Indian |
146 |
|
Iranian |
62 |
|
Iraqi |
19 |
|
Irish |
177 |
|
Israeli |
0 |
|
Italian |
53 |
|
Ivorian |
2 |
|
Jamaican |
32 |
|
Jordanian |
1 |
|
Kazakh |
2 |
|
Kenyan |
17 |
|
Kiribatian |
2 |
|
Kosovan |
18 |
|
Kuwaiti |
10 |
|
Latvian |
131 |
|
Lebanese |
5 |
|
Liberian |
2 |
|
Libyan |
16 |
|
Lithuanian |
314 |
|
Malawian |
3 |
|
Malaysian |
4 |
|
Maldivian |
1 |
|
Malian |
3 |
|
Maltese |
0 |
|
Mauritanian |
8 |
|
Mauritian |
6 |
|
Mexican |
2 |
|
Moldovian |
15 |
|
Mongolian |
1 |
|
Monserraitian |
4 |
|
Montenegrin |
0 |
|
Moroccan |
27 |
|
Namibian |
1 |
|
Nepalese |
24 |
|
New Zealander |
4 |
|
Nigerian (Nigerian) |
258 |
|
Nigerien (Niger) |
1 |
|
Northern Ireland |
20 |
|
Norwegian |
12 |
|
Pakistani |
87 |
|
Palestinian |
2 |
|
Peruvian |
2 |
|
Polish |
429 |
|
Portuguese |
88 |
|
Refused |
23 |
|
Romanian |
582 |
|
Russian |
9 |
|
Rwandan |
2 |
|
Saudi |
4 |
|
Scotland |
2 |
|
Senegalese |
8 |
|
Serbian |
2 |
|
Seychellois |
1 |
|
Sierra Leonean |
15 |
|
Singaporean |
0 |
|
Slovakian |
36 |
|
Slovenian |
2 |
|
Somali |
41 |
|
South African |
60 |
|
South Sudanese |
6 |
|
Spanish |
20 |
|
Sri Lankan |
35 |
|
St. Lucian |
6 |
|
Sudanese |
27 |
|
Swazi |
0 |
|
Swedish |
3 |
|
Swiss |
1 |
|
Syrian |
9 |
|
Tanzanian |
1 |
|
Thai |
9 |
|
Trinidadian / Tobagonian |
9 |
|
Tunisian |
17 |
|
Turkish |
96 |
|
Ugandan |
1 |
|
Ukrainian |
28 |
|
Unknown |
434 |
|
Uzbek |
3 |
|
Vietnamese |
15 |
|
Vincentian |
3 |
|
Wales |
3 |
|
Zambian |
5 |
|
Zimbabwean |
90 |
|
(blank) |
21928 |
|
Grand Total |
83081 |
|
Self-Defined Ethnicity |
Total |
|
African |
1232 |
|
Any Other Asian Background |
726 |
|
Any Other Black Background |
1545 |
|
Any Other Ethnic Group |
282 |
|
Any Other Mixed Background |
831 |
|
Any Other White Background |
2446 |
|
Arab |
80 |
|
Bangladeshi |
165 |
|
Caribbean |
338 |
|
Chinese |
66 |
|
Gypsy or Irish Traveller |
184 |
|
Indian |
329 |
|
Not stated |
21225 |
|
Pakistani |
319 |
|
White And Asian |
120 |
|
White And Black African |
146 |
|
White And Black Caribbean |
297 |
|
White British |
49162 |
|
White Irish |
411 |
|
(blank) |
3177 |
|
Grand Total |
83081 |
Numbers of Arrests by Self-Defined Nationality and Ethnicity - 2024
|
Self-Reported Nationality |
Total |
|
Afghan |
99 |
|
Albanian |
245 |
|
Algerian |
20 |
|
American |
48 |
|
Angolan |
14 |
|
Argentinean |
2 |
|
Australian |
29 |
|
Austrian |
12 |
|
Azerbaijani |
1 |
|
Bahamian |
1 |
|
Bahraini |
1 |
|
Bangladeshi |
117 |
|
Barbadian |
3 |
|
Belarusian |
1 |
|
Belgian |
25 |
|
Bermudan |
2 |
|
Bolivian |
1 |
|
Bosnian |
1 |
|
Botswanan |
1 |
|
Brazilian |
52 |
|
British |
49770 |
|
Bulgarian |
86 |
|
Burkinabe |
1 |
|
Burmese |
1 |
|
Burundian |
1 |
|
Cameroonian |
5 |
|
Canadian |
2 |
|
Central African |
9 |
|
Chilean |
12 |
|
Chinese |
24 |
|
Colombian |
7 |
|
Congolese |
26 |
|
Congolese (DRC) |
0 |
|
Croat |
0 |
|
Cuban |
4 |
|
Cypriot |
10 |
|
Czech |
28 |
|
Danish |
6 |
|
Dominican (Dominica) |
1 |
|
Dominican (Republic) |
1 |
|
Dutch |
43 |
|
Ecuadorean |
1 |
|
Egyptian |
22 |
|
Emirati |
0 |
|
England |
349 |
|
Eritrean |
7 |
|
Estonian |
3 |
|
Ethiopian |
13 |
|
Fijian |
4 |
|
Filipino |
11 |
|
Finnish |
1 |
|
French |
27 |
|
French Guianan |
0 |
|
Gabonese |
0 |
|
Gambian |
5 |
|
Georgian |
8 |
|
German |
14 |
|
Ghanaian |
70 |
|
Greek |
13 |
|
Grenadian |
6 |
|
Guatemalan |
1 |
|
Guinea - Bissaun |
2 |
|
Guinean |
4 |
|
Guyanese |
2 |
|
Hungarian |
32 |
|
Indian |
133 |
|
Iranian |
74 |
|
Iraqi |
25 |
|
Irish |
168 |
|
Italian |
56 |
|
Ivorian |
6 |
|
Jamaican |
45 |
|
Japanese |
1 |
|
Kazakh |
1 |
|
Kenyan |
30 |
|
Kosovan |
9 |
|
Kuwaiti |
4 |
|
Kyrgyz / Kyrgyzstani |
1 |
|
Latvian |
61 |
|
Lebanese |
6 |
|
Liberian |
3 |
|
Libyan |
21 |
|
Lithuanian |
238 |
|
Macedonian |
2 |
|
Malawian |
4 |
|
Malaysian |
1 |
|
Maldivian |
1 |
|
Malian |
4 |
|
Maltese |
1 |
|
Martiniquais |
2 |
|
Mauritanian |
3 |
|
Mauritian |
19 |
|
Mexican |
2 |
|
Moldovian |
22 |
|
Monserraitian |
1 |
|
Montenegrin |
0 |
|
Moroccan |
19 |
|
Mozambican |
1 |
|
Nepalese |
13 |
|
New Zealander |
1 |
|
Nigerian (Nigerian) |
215 |
|
Nigerien (Niger) |
3 |
|
Northern Ireland |
26 |
|
Norwegian |
1 |
|
Pakistani |
116 |
|
Palestinian |
2 |
|
Polish |
361 |
|
Portuguese |
84 |
|
Refused |
15 |
|
Romanian |
550 |
|
Russian |
10 |
|
Rwandan |
1 |
|
Sahrawi / Western Saharan |
4 |
|
Salvadorean |
1 |
|
Saudi |
5 |
|
Scotland |
6 |
|
Serbian |
9 |
|
Sierra Leonean |
10 |
|
Singaporean |
0 |
|
Slovakian |
44 |
|
Somali |
13 |
|
South African |
46 |
|
South Sudanese |
2 |
|
Spanish |
31 |
|
Sri Lankan |
40 |
|
St. Lucian |
7 |
|
Sudanese |
42 |
|
Surinamese |
0 |
|
Swazi |
0 |
|
Swedish |
0 |
|
Syrian |
12 |
|
Taiwanese |
0 |
|
Tanzanian |
2 |
|
Thai |
14 |
|
Trinidadian / Tobagonian |
16 |
|
Tunisian |
12 |
|
Turkish |
94 |
|
Ugandan |
7 |
|
Ukrainian |
22 |
|
Unknown |
695 |
|
Venezuelan |
4 |
|
Vietnamese |
9 |
|
Vincentian |
1 |
|
Wales |
0 |
|
Zambian |
5 |
|
Zimbabwean |
98 |
|
(blank) |
22262 |
|
Grand Total |
77182 |
|
Self-Defined Ethnicity |
Total |
|
African |
1174 |
|
Any Other Asian Background |
645 |
|
Any Other Black Background |
1545 |
|
Any Other Ethnic Group |
265 |
|
Any Other Mixed Background |
903 |
|
Any Other White Background |
2448 |
|
Arab |
127 |
|
Bangladeshi |
201 |
|
Caribbean |
393 |
|
Chinese |
77 |
|
Gypsy or Irish Traveller |
185 |
|
Indian |
316 |
|
Not stated |
20639 |
|
Pakistani |
285 |
|
White And Asian |
114 |
|
White And Black African |
160 |
|
White And Black Caribbean |
255 |
|
White British |
43843 |
|
White Irish |
324 |
|
(blank) |
3283 |
|
Grand Total |
77182 |
Numbers of Arrests by Self-Defined Nationality and Ethnicity - 2025 (Jan to Jul)
|
Self-Reported Nationality |
Total |
|
Afghan |
37 |
|
Albanian |
131 |
|
Algerian |
17 |
|
American |
18 |
|
Angolan |
8 |
|
Antiguan |
1 |
|
Argentinean |
2 |
|
Australian |
14 |
|
Austrian |
11 |
|
Bahamian |
2 |
|
Bangladeshi |
84 |
|
Belgian |
7 |
|
Bolivian |
4 |
|
Brazilian |
29 |
|
British |
26450 |
|
Bruneian |
2 |
|
Bulgarian |
38 |
|
Burmese |
1 |
|
Cameroonian |
1 |
|
Canadian |
2 |
|
Cape Verdean |
0 |
|
Central African |
1 |
|
Chadian |
1 |
|
Chilean |
2 |
|
Chinese |
6 |
|
Chinese (Hong Kong) |
1 |
|
Colombian |
2 |
|
Congolese |
4 |
|
Croat |
1 |
|
Cypriot |
5 |
|
Czech |
12 |
|
Danish |
1 |
|
Dominican (Republic) |
1 |
|
Dutch |
13 |
|
Egyptian |
8 |
|
England |
154 |
|
Eritrean |
8 |
|
Estonian |
2 |
|
Ethiopian |
5 |
|
Fijian |
1 |
|
Filipino |
4 |
|
French |
14 |
|
French Guianan |
0 |
|
Gabonese |
0 |
|
Gambian |
2 |
|
Georgian |
7 |
|
German |
5 |
|
Ghanaian |
46 |
|
Greek |
3 |
|
Guinea - Bissaun |
5 |
|
Guinean |
3 |
|
Guyanese |
1 |
|
Hungarian |
12 |
|
Indian |
73 |
|
Iranian |
31 |
|
Iraqi |
14 |
|
Irish |
117 |
|
Israeli |
2 |
|
Italian |
8 |
|
Jamaican |
25 |
|
Japanese |
1 |
|
Kenyan |
17 |
|
Kosovan |
5 |
|
Kuwaiti |
2 |
|
Latvian |
33 |
|
Lebanese |
0 |
|
Liberian |
0 |
|
Libyan |
7 |
|
Lithuanian |
134 |
|
Macedonian |
1 |
|
Malawian |
2 |
|
Maldivian |
1 |
|
Maltese |
0 |
|
Martiniquais |
1 |
|
Mauritanian |
2 |
|
Mauritian |
10 |
|
Mexican |
1 |
|
Moldovian |
23 |
|
Monserraitian |
0 |
|
Montenegrin |
0 |
|
Moroccan |
10 |
|
Namibian |
1 |
|
Nepalese |
6 |
|
New Zealander |
5 |
|
Nigerian (Nigerian) |
110 |
|
Nigerien (Niger) |
2 |
|
Northern Ireland |
1 |
|
Norwegian |
3 |
|
Pakistani |
41 |
|
Palestinian |
5 |
|
Polish |
188 |
|
Portuguese |
46 |
|
Refused |
2 |
|
Romanian |
244 |
|
Russian |
9 |
|
Salvadorean |
1 |
|
Santomean |
1 |
|
Saudi |
3 |
|
Scotland |
0 |
|
Senegalese |
1 |
|
Sierra Leonean |
4 |
|
Singaporean |
1 |
|
Slovakian |
4 |
|
Somali |
13 |
|
South African |
17 |
|
South Sudanese |
3 |
|
Spanish |
11 |
|
Sri Lankan |
29 |
|
St. Lucian |
6 |
|
Sudanese |
15 |
|
Swedish |
3 |
|
Syrian |
3 |
|
Tanzanian |
0 |
|
Thai |
5 |
|
Togoiese |
1 |
|
Trinidadian / Tobagonian |
15 |
|
Tunisian |
11 |
|
Turkish |
40 |
|
Ugandan |
2 |
|
Ukrainian |
11 |
|
United Kingdom |
0 |
|
Unknown |
318 |
|
Uruguayan |
1 |
|
Uzbek |
3 |
|
Vietnamese |
1 |
|
Zambian |
7 |
|
Zimbabwean |
36 |
|
(blank) |
15559 |
|
Grand Total |
44497 |
|
Self-Defined Ethnicity |
Total |
|
African |
592 |
|
Any Other Asian Background |
433 |
|
Any Other Black Background |
873 |
|
Any Other Ethnic Group |
191 |
|
Any Other Mixed Background |
530 |
|
Any Other White Background |
1430 |
|
Arab |
74 |
|
Bangladeshi |
142 |
|
Caribbean |
243 |
|
Chinese |
32 |
|
Gypsy or Irish Traveller |
115 |
|
Indian |
196 |
|
Not stated |
11190 |
|
Pakistani |
204 |
|
White And Asian |
78 |
|
White And Black African |
100 |
|
White And Black Caribbean |
190 |
|
White British |
25409 |
|
White Irish |
254 |
|
(blank) |
2221 |
|
Grand Total |
44497 |
Every effort is made to ensure that the data provided by Essex Police is accurate and complete. However, Essex Police systems are designed primarily for the management of individual cases and not for the purposes of providing data to answer specific FOI enquiries. Please note although data can be extracted from a number of sources via database queries, the results may be subject to inaccuracies. Care should be taken to understand our return when considering the interpretation or further use of the data.
The following articles available via our Publication Scheme may also be of interest: