A huge haul of drugs and mobile phones has been recovered since the introduction of new detection measures to crackdown on prison contraband, Prisons Minister Sam Gyimah revealed!
A £2 million investment has seen every prison across the estate fitted out with hand-held mobile phone detectors and portable detection poles to step up the detection of illegal phones on the landings.
In addition, 300 specialist prison dogs have been trained in drugs detection to help stem the flow of illicit substances into our prisons, allowing officers to focus their efforts on reforming and turning the lives around of offenders.
The measures are part of a much wider strategy to tackle the most pressing threats to security in prisons and backed by a strengthening of the frontline with 2,500 additional prison officers by 2018.
New statistics show that in 2016, hardworking prison staff recovered 225kg of illicit drugs – the equivalent weight of 2 washing machines – across the prison estate.
And in the same year, over 13,000 mobile phones and 7,000 sim cards were recovered from prisons – helping to thwart the attempts of criminals to continue committing crime behind bars.
