Chilling images as crime gangs taken over airspace above two excessive safety prisons

Organised crime gangs have effectively taken over the airspace above two high-security prisons with drones used to drop drugs and weapons, a watchdog has warned,

Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor accused the police and Government of giving up control of the airspace above HMP Manchester and HMP Long Lartin in Worcestershire, as he called on them and the security services to “urgently confront” activity from criminal gangs behind the supply.

In reports published on Tuesday, he said the jails have “thriving illicit economies” of drugs, mobiles and weapons amid basic security measures such as outdoor protective netting and CCTV having fallen into disrepair.

Mr Taylor found that prisoners were burning holes in supposedly secure windows at HMP Manchester, previously known as Strangeways, to receive regular deliveries by drone. It prompted him to last year tell the Justice Secretary to put the prison into emergency measures. A staggering 39% of prisoners had tested positive in mandatory drug tests at the prison.

And at HMP Long Lartin Mr Taylor said 50% of those who responded to his survey said it was easy to get drugs and alcohol. Violence and self-harm at both jails had increased, in part driven by drugs and the accompanying debt prisoners found themselves in, the report found.

Six inmates had taken their own lives at Manchester since his last inspection in 2021, with a seventh self-inflicted death taking place a few weeks after their visit in autumn last year. Mr Taylor said the jail is now one of the most violent prisons in the country, with a high number of serious assaults against both prisoners and staff.

Conditions were also dire at both prisons with widespread dirt, damp and litter across the estates. Manchester jail had a chronic rodent infestation, many cell windows were smashed and prisoners used torn-up foam from mattresses and pillows to keep out the cold. At Long Lartin, a lack of toilets inside cells has led to many prisoners using buckets in their cells and throwing bags of faeces out of the window.

Mr Taylor, the Chief Inspector of Prisons, said: “It is highly alarming that the police and prison service have, in effect ceded the airspace above two high-security prisons to organised crime gangs which are able to deliver contraband to jails holding extremely dangerous prisoners including some who have been designated as high-risk category A.”

Pia Sinha, chief executive of the Prison Reform Trust, said: “The infiltration of criminal organisations into prisons is a serious and worrying development which these troubling inspection reports highlight. An illicit prison economy that is driven by drug dealing and criminality leads to increased debt and violence and can also have a serious negative impact on the wider community outside of prison.”

She said part of the answer lies in reducing the demand for drugs by increasing prisoners’ time out of their cells and engaging in purposeful activity.

A Ministry of Justice spokeswoman said: “This Government inherited prisons in crisis – overcrowded, with drugs and violence rife. We are gripping the situation by investing in prison maintenance and security, working with the police and others to tackle serious organised crime, and building more prison places to lock up dangerous criminals.”