The number of foreign nationals deported after being found guilty of a crime has increased in the last few years, according to new justice ministry figures quoted in Monday’s AD.

In 2011, 72% of criminals earmarked for deportation were successfully sent out of the country, but by last year this had risen to 80%, the figures show. Most had Somali, Iraqi and Moroccan nationality, the AD said.

In total, 4,810 foreign nationals with a criminal record have been deported since 2011. ‘It’s a very diverse group,’ says a ministry spokesperson. ‘It includes people who stole something from a supermarket, but also those convicted of serious crimes including sex crimes and murder.’

Deporting foreign criminals is successful relatively often because, unlike asylum seekers, they usually have travel documents, the AD said.

This year junior minister Klaas Dijkhoff changed the rules to allow people given a sentence of six months or more to be deported. The threshold was formerly 18 months. In the future, Dijkhoff wants to deport foreigners given a suspended sentence or community service.