Drugs crime blamed for half of killings in Britain
ALMOST half the killings in the UK last year were linked to drugs, it emerged yesterday.
There were a total of 671 cases of murder, manslaughter or infanticide, down by 33 from the previous 12 months.
But 47 per cent of homicides involved drugs in the year to March 2019, said the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The proportion was higher by two points than previous records at 45 per cent in the years to March 2016 and March 2012.
The figures highlight the havoc drugs cause in society.
The lowest yearly rate in the past decade is 36 per cent.
The figures come amid rising concern that gangs are battling to seize control of Britain’s lucrative narcotics markets.
There is a record demand for cocaine, though cannabis remains the most-used drug.
Experts warned criminals are increasingly exploiting the online dark web to sell drugs as dealers move away from traditional street contacts.
Records show 28.6 per cent of recreational users in England ordered narcotics via encrypted browsers, up from 12.4 per cent in 2014.
Organised crime groups in Britain generate more money from selling illegal drugs on the web than in any other country in Europe.
Lib Peck, of the Violence Reduction Unit in London, said: “We know that drugs fuel violence and our research makes it clear that the fact people are able to buy greater quantities of drugs on the dark web has increased competition between criminal gangs.”
Professor Tom Kirchmaier, an expert in crime and finance at the London School of Economics, added: “Ordering drugs has become as easy as using Amazon Prime and, unfortunately, rising knife crime is the outcome of a switch by consumers to the dark web.
“There has been a quick and dramatic reduction in the market for street drugs.
“In this contested market, gangs are fighting for their market share. Buying drugs online is safer and cheaper, and usually the quality is good.”
A killing is defined by the ONS as drug-related if either the victim or suspect is a known drug user or dealer, either had taken drugs, or one of them wanted to steal drugs or drug money.