LONDON, April 17 (Xinhua) -- British Prisons Minister Sam Gyimah announced Monday that the country has set up its first specialist squad to tackle the threat to prison security posed by drones.
The squad, comprised of a specialist team of prison and police officers, will work closely with national law enforcement agencies and the Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) to inspect drones recovered from prisons, in a bid to identify and track down those who attempt to smuggle contraband to inmates.
Minister Gyimah said: "We are absolutely determined to tackle the illegal flow of drugs and mobile phones (cellphones) into our prisons and turn them into places of safety and reform."
"The threat posed by drones is clear, but our dedicated staff are committed to winning the fight against those who are attempting to thwart progress by wreaking havoc in establishments all over the country.
"My message to those who involve themselves in this type of criminal activity is clear: we will find you and put you behind bars."
The newly-formed team will include staff from the police and HMPPS. They will bring together intelligence from prisons and the police nationwide and then pass to local forces and organized crime officers.
The announcement came following the recent successful convictions of a number of offenders, including two offenders, drug dealer Remo White-Channer and robber Romaine Gayle, both 24 and from London.
Their collective sentence spans over a decade, the longest sentence of this type after a joint operation taken by the police and prison officers during which the two were caught.
The two were jailed for six years and six months, and four years and four months respectively for attempting to flood prisons across counties around London with contraband worth around 60,200 U.S.dollars.
The pair had tried to use drones to fly packages containing cannabis, spice and heroin, as well as phones into three different prisons.
"The strong sentences send a clear message that those found flying drones into prisons will face significant time behind bars," said the MoJ.
Three others have been jailed for attempting to smuggle drugs and mobile phones into prisons in England.
The MoJ said the new squad is the latest step in efforts to disrupt the flow of drugs and mobile phones in prisons.
Justice Secretary Elizabeth Truss has secured funding for 2,500 extra frontline prison officers, as well as introducing mandatory drug testing and the training of over 300 drug detection dogs.
The government has made it a criminal offence to possess any psychoactive substance in a prison, an offence punishable by up to two years behind bars.
A 3.8 million dollar intelligence hub to tackle gang crime behind bars has also been established by Truss.
