Drones are increasingly used by criminals to drop contraband into prison estates across the United Kingdom. HMP Parc in Bridgend, South Wales, has been the subject of an ongoing operation by police and G4S to tackle drone incursions and prevent contraband from reaching its intended audience.
The operation has already had successes with illicit items being recovered before they can cause harm to the prison population. Prison intelligence officers within Tarian, the Regional Organised Crime Unit for southern Wales, have been working with South Wales Police’s Crime in Prisons Team, and G4S, to track and target the drones and investigate those responsible for sending them.
Detective Sergeant Karl Stephens, of Tarian, said:
“Organised criminals are determined to get drugs, weapons, phones, and other illicit items into prison estates. We relentlessly pursue anyone who seeks to cause harm to the prisons and their populations in our region, and we will continue to work with our partners to create safe rehabilitative environments for the prison communities.”
“I encourage members of the public who live or work near prisons to report any potential drone sightings over prison estates. I also appeal to prisoners, ex-prisoners, and families of prisoners to report this type of criminality so we can collectively work to keep people safe from harm.”
A HMP Parc spokesperson said:
“G4S has robust measures in place to tackle the supply of illegal drugs into HMP Parc. We work closely with South Wales Police and Tarian to provide intelligence and evidence when anyone attempts to bring contraband into the prison. We would like to thank the police for their ongoing support.”
