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Passports: Fraud

Volume 468: debated on Thursday 6 December 2007

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many persons were convicted of false passport or false identity document offences in each of the last two years; and of those how many and what percentage have been given custodial sentences. (170469)

The information requested covering selected offences for the years 2005 and 2006 is provided in the following table.

The data provided do not cover all prosecutions for possession or production of false identity documents as some defendants found guilty of these offences can be prosecuted under the Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981 or the Theft Acts 1968 and 1978. Data on prosecutions for these offences have not been provided as data on prosecutions brought under these Acts cannot separately identify whether false documents were involved in the crimes committed.

A percentage cannot be provided due to the method of recording.

Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts, found guilty at all courts, sentenced and of those sentenced, the number sentenced to immediate custody for offences related to false passports and related documents, England and Wales 2005 and 20061, 2, 3

Offence description

Principal statute

Year

Proceeded against

Found guilty

Sentenced

Of which: Immediate custody

Identity Cards Act 2006

With intent knowingly possessing or falsely or improperly obtaining another’s ID document

2006

587

437

484

462

Identity Cards Act 2006

With intent making, possessing or having under control apparatus or article or material designed or adapted for making false ID cards

2006

8

7

9

9

Identity Cards Act 2006

Possessing or controlling a false or improperly obtained ID card or which relates to another or apparatus etc. for making false ID cards

2006

133

81

55

46

Immigration Act 1971 S.26A(3)(a), (b), (d), (e), (f) and (g) and (5) as added by Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 S.148

Registration Card (making, using or attempting to use a false registration card; altering or attempting to use a registration card; making article designed to be used in making false registration card or altering card)

2005

4

3

3

3

2006

12

9

8

5

Immigration Act 1971 S.26A (3) (c) and (h) and (6) as added by Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 S.148

Registration Card (having false registration card in possession; having article within para. (f) or (g) in possession without reasonable excuse)

2005

5

3

4

2

2006

6

6

6

4

Being unable to produce an immigration document at a leave or asylum interview in respect of himself

Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants) Act 2004 S.2(1 )(9)

2005

473

428

385

378

2006

490

499

533

525

Being unable to produce an immigration document at a leave or asylum interview in respect of a dependent child

Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants) Act 2004 S.2(2)(9)

2005

14

22

32

31

2006

14

14

21

20

Non citizen entering UK without leave

Immigration Act 1971 section 24 (1) (a)

2005

43

33

24

22

2006

75

63

38

31

Having possession or any passport, certificate of entitlement, entry clearance, work permit or other document made under or for the purpose of the Immigration Act 1971 which is known or is reasonably believed to be false

Immigration Act 1971 section 26 (1) (d)

2005

9

5

7

5

2006

12

17

16

14

1 These data are on the principal offence basis.

2 Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the police. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

3 The found guilty column can exceed the number proceeded against and the number sentenced can exceed both those proceeded against and found guilty when a proceeding took place in a different year to conviction or sentencing, or when a defendant is found guilty for a different offence to the one for which proceedings were originally brought.