Concern at surge in use of drones to deliver drugs to prison inmates

Prisons will need more money to combat the rapid rise in the use of drones to deliver drugs to inmates, the head of an influential Commons committee has said, as figures show the number of aerial incursions more than tripled in two years.

- Josh Halliday

A freedom of information request by the Guardian found there were 1,296 drone incidents at prisons in England and Wales in the 10 months to the end of October, a tenfold increase since 2020.

The Labour chair of the Commons justice committee, Andy Slaughter, said the figures should "set alarm bells ringing" about prison security.

"We wouldn't be having these increases in incidents if the Prison Service was on top of it. Clearly they are playing catch up," he said.

"It's particularly galling that organised crime and whoever is operating the drones are 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 was expected to have increased to more than 1,550 by the end of last year - more than triple the 478 incidents in 2022.

Given that many drone deliveries happen at night, the true figure is believed to be far higher.

The chief inspector of prisons, Charlie Taylor, said last month that the surge in the use of large unmanned aerial vehicles was his "No 1 concern" and had increased the possibility that firearms would be used to settle turf wars or in attempts to escape.