New no-fly zones over prisons

New no-fly zones are to be enforced over all prisons in England and Wales in an attempt to crack down on gangs using drones to smuggle drugs, phones and weapons.

New legislation will make it an automatic offence to fly drones within 400 metres of any closed prison or young offender institution in England and Wales.

Those who break the rules could face fines of up to £2,500 while those found smuggling illicit items will face up to 10 years in prison.  

Between 2019 and 2021, 504 drones were either sighted, intercepted or seized around prisons in England and Wales.

In recent years, drone sightings at prisons have increased. However, currently police can only act if there is evidence of contraband being illegally smuggled.

Prisons minister Damian Hinds said: "This is the latest step in the war we are winning to stop drugs, weapons and phones getting into our prisons.

"These virtual ‘no-fly’ zones - along with our new airport-style X-ray scanners - mean we can clamp down better than ever on violence behind bars to keep both prisoners and staff safe from harm."

Image by Thomas Ehrhardt from Pixabay