Criminal gangs ’smuggle drugs through jail’s broken windows’

Organised crime gangs are operating “with impunity” at a high-security jail by using drones to import drugs through broken and insecure windows, the watchdog has revealed.

Charlie Taylor, HM chief inspector of prisons, said drones were used to bring “large quantities” of drugs into Manchester Prison, which holds dozens of criminals linked to organised crime and county-lines gangs.

He blamed the flood of drugs on the failure to fix the windows for two years, which was the result of “absurdly bureaucratic planning processes” and prison service bosses failing to take control of the problem.

The Telegraph has previously revealed that lengthy planning rows have held up the installation of specially designed reinforced grilles over the windows because of heritage concerns about the Grade II-listed prison.

The drone drops have meant 38 per cent of prisoners at Manchester, also known as Strangeways, were testing positive for drugs, one of the highest rates for all 120 jails in England and Wales. It also has one of the highest rates of violence, with 30 per cent of inmates saying they feel unsafe.

“The supply of illicit items, often linked to organised crime and county-lines networks, remained a serious threat to the prison’s stability,” said the inspectors.

“Drug use was very high and the rate of positive random mandatory drug tests was one of the highest in all prisons.

“There were ongoing physical security weaknesses and the prison continued to be plagued by drone activity. Leaders were frustrated at the slow progress in installing secure windows, grilles and upgraded CCTV.”

The prison, which houses the highest-risk offenders, was placed in special measures 18 months ago after a visit by Mr Taylor and his team of inspectors.

He revealed prisoners had used filaments from their kettles to burn through “secure” windows, providing access for a “catastrophically high” level of illicit drugs to flood into the jail.

Mr Taylor warned that drone-flying drug gangs had “seized control of the airspace” over the jail in a move that threatened national security.

Security experts have designed the “impenetrable” grilles, but efforts to install them have been bogged down with planning concerns about fitting them on to the facade of the 158-year-old building.

It emerged in January that Manchester city council had yet to grant planning permission for the metal grilles, more than two years after inspectors highlighted the drugs crisis at the jail, which had contributed to the dangerous levels of violence.

After their latest visit, the inspectors said: “Drones continued to bring large quantities of drugs into the jail, which was leading to high levels of violence and instability.

“A failure by leaders in the prison service and absurdly bureaucratic planning processes meant just a handful of windows had been replaced, with the consequence that organised crime gangs continued to operate with impunity in the prison and the safety of prisoners and staff was compromised.

“High levels of drug availability, restricted time out of cell and limited access to purposeful activity continued to undermine prisoners’ motivation to behave well. The level of serious assaults was among the highest in the adult male estate and violence against staff had increased.”

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: “This is a prison operating under immense pressure after this government inherited a prison system at the peak of its crisis.

“We took immediate action to bring the system back from the point of collapse and while we welcome inspectors recognising the strong leadership now in place at HMP Manchester, we are taking urgent action to stop drones, upgrade security and tackle the flow of drugs which fuels violence behind bars.”