PRISON DRUGS SCAN SCANDAL
A WHISTLEBLOWER prison guard has claimed hi-tech drug scanners are not being used routinely by overworked staff battling to stem the flow of illegal substances in jails.
Rapiscan machines were trialled in Scots prisons last year, with several now available.
The kits detect traces of drugs often soaked into paper or even pants and socks sent to inmates.
But the Record has learned the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the strain on staff means the new kit is still not always being used to sample mail on its way in.
The guard, who does not want to be identified, said the drugs problem is worse than ever as so- called New Psychoactive Substances, called “legal highs” until criminalised, flood the estate.
The guard said: “It’s worse now than it was before. They have pinpointed how much they’ve used, so prisoners are not all turning into zombies, but the spread is probably wider.”
The officer revealed Rapiscan devices in at least three major jails were not being used routinely.
“Hundreds of pieces of mail are coming in and not one is being scanned,” the guard said.
“One A4 piece of paper can have hundreds of useable doses when punched out and put in a vape.”
The guard said staff need extra help, adding: “We need increased routine testing of mail across the estate, every jail. They should be looking at everything.
“Not all jails are looking at all mail. In England they have been photocopying mail. That would involve a government rule change.”
Health restrictions mean inmates are locked up more often. Prisoners use state- supplied e-cigarettes to smoke tiny bits of the drugged paper.
The guard said: “The amount of the drugs in jail is unbelievable. Due to Covid, we’re not doing the searches as we could, to protect us, but the amount of drugs getting through is really big.
“The prisoners are wise to it. They’ll always find a way. If they used their brains for good, some of them would be geniuses.”
The Scottish Prison Service said there are “no current plans” to photocopy mail sent to inmates.
It added: “Guidance has been issued to staff on safe methods of working to ensure that searching can continue to be carried out.
“PPE is provided to allow any necessary searches to take place.”