X-ray scanners stop 1,400 illegal items from being sneaked into jail
FULL body-scanning technology installed into 28 prisons has led to 1,376 illegal items being confiscated from visitors in just four months.
The X-ray machines were introduced last year in some English and Welsh jails as part of a £100million package to tackle violence and security problems.
They have picked up items such as the potent synthetic drug Spice, morphine tablets, mobile phones, SIM cards, chargers and tobacco.
These banned items would have been destined for the prison wings, fuelling the illicit economy and potential violence.
Prisons and probation minister Lucy Frazer said: “Stopping the flow of illegal items into jails is a huge priority for us.
“The scanners form part of our wider plan to step up security in prisons to cut crime and better protect the public.”
Natalie Mckee, governor of HMP Hindley, near Wigan, added: “We are confident this equipment will prove a successful deterrent to anyone wanting to smuggle illegal items into our establishment.
“The X-ray body scanner supports our aim to provide a safe environment for our prison officers and the men in our prisons.”
The cutting-edge technology is being installed at jails with high numbers of remand prisoners, who pose the greatest risk of smuggling.
The move last year followed pressure from MPS over a need for a crackdown on illicit items, particularly mobile phones. A series of scandals have seen criminals use phones in prison to order murders, arrange escapes, bring in drugs and even watch pornography.
In 2017, former cabinet minister Esther Mcvey called for mobile phone signals to be blocked from prisons because the problem was out of control.
The technology is being funded by the Government’s £2.75billion commitment to transform the prison estate.
This includes £100million to bolster security, clamping down on the weapons, drugs and mobiles that fuel violence, self-harm and crime behind bars.
Another £2.5billion is providing 10,000 additional prison places and creating modern, efficient jails that rehabilitate offenders, reduce reoffending and keep the public safe.
And a further £156million is going towards tackling the most pressing maintenance issues, to create safe and decent conditions and so boost offender rehabilitation.
The prisons which have received the scanners are Aylesbury, Bedford, Birmingham, Brinsford, Bristol, Brixton, Bullingdon, Cardiff, Chelmsford, Durham, Elmley, Exeter, Garth, Gartree, Hewell, High Down, Hindley, Leicester, Lewes, Lincoln, Liverpool, Norwich, Pentonville, Preston, Swaleside, Swansea,wandsworth and Winchester.
A further 24 scanners will be installed in prisons by March.