Prisons in England and Wales record rapid rise in drones delivering drugs

[highplainsdem]

Source: Guardian

Prisons will need more money to combat the rapid rise in drones delivering drugs, the head of an influential Commons committee has said, as figures showed the number of aerial incursions predicted to have tripled in two years.

A freedom of information request by the Guardian found there were 1,296 drone incidents at prisons in England and Wales in the 10 months to the end of October 2024, a tenfold increase since 2020.

The Labour chair of the Commons justice committee, Andy Slaughter, said the figures should “set alarm bells ringing” about prison security.

-snip-

The drugs trade in prisons is so lucrative that gangs are headhunting highly skilled drone pilots from the non-criminal world to ferry their cargo to cell windows.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/jan/01/prisons-in-england-and-wales-record-rapid-rise-in-drones-delivering-drugs

[eppur_se_muova]

1. Time for orchard nets ...

https://www.amazon.com/orchard-netting/s?k=orchard+netting

Maybe we'll see huge, skeletal geodesic domes built over entire prison compounds, including the entire fenced area (only possible w/geodesic domes) and covered w/netting -- or EMP 'zappers'.

It would be good to see geodesics back in the news.

[FredGarvin]

3. Good idea!

Build billion dollar superstructures above the prisons.

Or maybe not allow drones into the prison...maybe the guards should pay attention.

[eppur_se_muova]

4. Not billions. Cheapest structures possible, especially for their size. Absolute minimum use of materials.

The main obstacles to geodesics are building regulations, which are geared to traditional structures with flat walls (with weak right angle joints, which must be braced) and perpendicular roofs. Also, the limited number of architects and construction engineers who have bothered to learn about them.

[FredGarvin]

2. Underfunded prison system

The Welsh taxpayers need to go even more broke on this nonsense?