UK criminals use "drug drones" to make deliveries straight to prison windows

There are 122 prisons in England and Wales, including the Long Term and High Security Estate, which houses the most dangerous criminals like terrorists and serial killers. However, recent reports reveal that two of these "Supermax" prisons, HMP Manchester and HMP Long Lartin, have been overrun by criminal gangs using drones to deliver contraband to prisoners. 

Chief Inspector of Prisons, Charlie Taylor, reported that in both prisons, CCTV systems were poorly maintained, and anti-drone netting was either missing or never installed. According to an article by Unherd, these issues allowed gangs to operate with near-total impunity.

"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", Taylor said in a report released on January 14.

The widespread drone deliveries of drugs and phones are undermining efforts at rehabilitation, creating an environment of violence, competition, and criminality. The drone technology, capable of carrying up to 15kg, could potentially be used to deliver weapons or explosives, posing a serious threat to security. The article highlights the situation at one of the prisons, the HMP Manchester which is labelled one of "most violent prisons in the country", which was so appaling that Taylor issued an urgent notification for improvement to the government back in October.

In the past, dangerous items like guns and explosives were smuggled into prisons, and now drones could easily facilitate similar breaches, as evidenced by the 1994 IRA escape at HMP Whitemoor. The publication recalls that both prisons have also experienced an increase in violence and self-harm among the prisoners, in part driven by the presence of drugs inside the facilities and the resulting financial debts facing some prisoners. 

The scandal was further compounded by the response from politicians. Prisons Minister Lord Timpson was unavailable to be questioned, leaving Under-Secretary Sir Nicholas Dakin to address the situation. While anti-drone nets were being installed, Dakin failed to explain why an independent inspection was necessary to uncover these security failures. Timpson, meanwhile, claimed to be in "close contact" with the Chief Inspector but has yet to address the broader issues of incompetence and complacency within the prison service.

By Nazrin Sadigova