War launched on drug drones turning ‘jail into airport’ as fleet fly to cells at night time
A recent report by his inspectors into HMP Garth, near Leyland in Lancashire, said so many drones were flying to the prison at night to deliver contraband to cell windows that an inmate had compared it to an airport.
Prisons need more money to combat drones delivering drugs to inmates, according to an MP.
The number of aerial incursions are on the rise, with politicians warning that criminals are “steps ahead” of jail bosses.
A freedom of information request found there were 1,296 drone incidents at prisons in England and Wales in the 10 months to the end of October 2024, – a tenfold increase since 2020.
Andy Slaughter, the Labour chair of the Commons justice committee, said the figures should “set alarm bells ringing” about prison security.
He said: “We wouldn’t be having these increases in incidents if the Prison Service was on top of it. Clearly they are playing catch up.
“It’s particularly galling that organised crime and whoever is operating the drones are effectively steps ahead … of the people who are supposed to be keeping prisons secure.”
With an average of about 130 drone incidents a month, the number of incursions is expected to have increased to more than 1,550 by the end of 2024 – more than triple the 478 incidents in 2022.
With the majority of drone deliveries happening at night, the true figure is believed to be far higher.
HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, Charlie Taylor, said last month that the surge in the use of large unmanned aerial vehicles was his “number one concern” and had increased the possibility that firearms would be used to settle turf wars or in attempts to escape.
A recent report by his inspectors into HMP Garth, near Leyland in Lancashire, said so many drones were flying to the prison at night to deliver contraband to cell windows that an inmate had compared it to an airport.
Mr Slaughter, who has launched an inquiry, said the drone deliveries were a “pretty fundamental breach of security” that would need more money to fix.
He added: “There’s going to be cost to it, whether that comes out of the increased maintenance budgets or whether it has to come from other means.
“It would be a shame if you’re diverting funds from other things such as rehabilitation, staffing, conditions and maintenance generally in prisons, because they are in an appalling state.
“But … before you do anything else, you have to make sure that your prisoners are secure and so this is going to have to be a priority.”
A government spokesperson said: “The availability of drugs and other illicit items in prisons is evidence of the crisis in our prisons that the new government inherited.
“We are working with the police to deter, detect and disrupt the growing illegal use of drones around prisons.
“Our Crime in Prisons taskforce will bear down on drugs in jails further, including tackling serious and organised crime.”
