The United Kingdom’s leading prison auditor has cautioned that drug-laden drones pose a significant national security risk, as prisoners create openings in their windows to facilitate deliveries.
Chief Inspector of Prisons, Charlie Taylor, remarked that ‘extraordinarily hazardous’ inmates in secure institutions are among those capable of acquiring illegal substances.
He criticized law enforcement agencies and the government for essentially allowing criminal organizations to regulate the airspace over HMP Manchester and HMP Long Lartin in Worcestershire.
A report released today underscores significant concerns regarding the deterioration of nets and CCTV systems at these two establishments.
This situation has facilitated the development of ‘flourishing’ drug markets, according to Mr. Taylor.
Previously, the gravity of the problems at HMP Manchester – formerly known as Strangeways – compelled him to recommend that the justice secretary implement emergency protocols for the prison.
As he prepared to unveil his latest report, Mr. Taylor expressed: ‘It is profoundly distressing that the police and Prison Service have, in effect, surrendered the airspace above two high-security prisons to organized crime syndicates capable of introducing contraband into facilities housing perilous inmates, some of whom are classified as high-risk category A.’
‘The welfare of staff, inmates, and ultimately the public is substantially jeopardized by the inability to address what has escalated into a national security concern.’
‘The Prison Service, police, and other security agencies must urgently tackle organized gang operations and curtail the influx of drugs and other prohibited items that evidently undermine every facet of prison life.’
Comparable challenges have also been documented at institutions like HMP The Mount in Hertfordshire and HMP Garth in Lancashire, which was recently characterized by Mr. Taylor as resembling an ‘airport’ due to the prevalence of drones.
In October of last year, reports surfaced indicating that inmates in Manchester were utilizing kettle filaments to burn through their cell windows, allowing them to retrieve their unauthorized deliveries.
Another study from Independent Monitoring Boards (IMB) suggests that such methods are unnecessary in some of the ‘dilapidated’ prisons across England and Wales, as the windows are already compromised.
The Ministry of Justice has been approached for a statement.
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