Class A drug seizures up 84 percent.

In 2008, there was one class A drug seizure every 12 minutes.

A chart like this always offers two potential explanations. Has the consumption of Class A drugs increased over the last 10 years, leading to a commensurate increase in seizures by the police? Or has the level of consumption remained broadly the same, but the Police have worked harder, and increased the number of drug busts?

One clue; the prison population is up about 50 percent since 1998.

(For our overseas readers, a "class A drug" is Heroin, Cocaine etc).