DRONES were used to drop packages of illegal drugs to inmates at Onley Prison near Rugby.
A freedom of information request to the Ministry of Justice revealed drones were used on 28 occasions in incidents in and around UK prisons in the last two years.
Onley Prison, on the outskirts of Dunchurch, had the highest amount of incidents, with four separate recorded cases involving drones or “unmanned aerial vehicles” from February to September.
One case specifically mentioned a drone being used to transport drugs into the Category C all-male prison.
Other incidents saw the drones carrying “unknown packages”. Elsewhere, objects like mobile phones were dropped into prisons, likely to be sold to other inmates.
The numbers reported in the FOI response only noted cases recorded by the ministry’s Incident Report System – so the actual number of drone flyovers could be much higher.
A spokesperson from the Ministry of Justice said they were finding new ways to deal with more modern threats including drones.
They said: “Incidents involving drones are rare, but we remain constantly vigilant to all new threats to prison security.
“Prisons have local contingency plans to respond to incidents, including drones. We have introduced new legislation to further strengthen our powers, making it illegal to land a drone in prison or to use a drone to drop in psychoactive substances.
“We take a zero tolerance approach to illicit material in prisons and work closely with the police and CPS to ensure those caught are prosecuted and face extra time behind bars.”
Anyone found using drones to get contraband into prisons can be punished with a sentence of up to two years.
Warwickshire Police plan to use their own hi-tech drones to combat crime and monitor large public gatherings. Trials will begin this month and, if successful, police drones could be in operation later this year.
