UK Prisons Flooded by Drone Smugglers, Slow to Fight Back
Source: nytimes.com
- A National Audit Office report criticizes UK prisons for slow response to drone smuggling of drugs and contraband.
- 1,712 drone incidents hit prisons in England and Wales from April 2024 to March 2025, up 770% since 2019.
- Government pledges £6.5 million for anti-drone tech inspired by Ukraine's battlefield tactics.
Organized criminals are using drones to smuggle drugs, weapons, and mobile phones into UK prisons, with incidents surging as prisons struggle to keep up. A National Audit Office (NAO) report slams the government and HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) for underspending on security and delays in countermeasures. Prisons minister Lord Timpson admits the drug problem is unacceptable due to past underinvestment. The government is now borrowing Ukraine's anti-drone tactics from their war with Rus