Prisoners could possibly be hoisted out of jails utilizing high-tech drones that raise 100kgs
President of the Prison Governors’ Association fears new tech could be snapped up by crooks to help inmates flee from jails on giant drones
Lags could escape from prisons on new high-tech drones, a prison chief warned. The unmanned planes can lift up to 100kg – 15kg more than the weight of the average British bloke.
And Tom Wheatley, president of the Prison Governors’ Association, fears the tech could be snapped up by crooks to help inmates flee from jails.
He said: “We incarcerate people who still have access to enormous amounts of money. If you’re in prison with nothing to lose and you want to try and find a way to get out, that must be one of the ways you’re thinking of doing it.
“Logistically, the threat is all there now. It could be any day from now because the technology exists, 100kg payload drones exist. “It’s a question of how you would get hold of one, but I very much doubt it is beyond the wit and the will of people who are prepared to break the law.”
The gizmos are already used by gangs to smuggle drugs, phones and other gear into jails.
More than 1,700 drone sightings were recorded at prisons in England and Wales between April 2024 and May this year, government figures show. It marked a rise of 43%.
The new models include the DJI’s Agras T100 which can be broken down for easy transport and is sold online for around £20,000.
Richard Gill, founder of security firm Drone Defence, invented a signal disruption system called SkyFence which is being used at HMP Guernsey.
He said: “Drone deliveries into prisons have become so technically advanced that it’s almost like UberEats. A prisoner places their order, it’s managed centrally, a local dealer supplies the goods.
“The whole ecosystem of drone deliveries into prisons is extremely advanced, well ahead of any commercial drone activity in the UK.”
It comes after justice secretary David Lammy was told by a coroner he had until mid-January to form a plan to stop drones flying into prisons after an inquest into the death of an inmate.
Derrion Adams, 29, died from a heart attack after taking drug spice at HMP Birmingham.
