Prison Watchdog Slams 'Little Progress' on Drug Drones at HMP Manchester
The Prison Service has made alarmingly little headway in addressing a formal demand to halt drone deliveries of drugs into one of England's most troubled prisons, according to a damning report from the chief inspector of prisons. Charlie Taylor, the chief inspector for England and Wales, stated that HMP Manchester continues to exist in a "precarious state" more than a year after an urgent notification was issued, with broken windows and inadequate security allowing contraband to flow freely to inmate gangs.
Urgent Notification Ignored
In October 2024, Taylor invoked the urgent notification protocol, compelling the Ministry of Justice to intervene within 28 days to curb escalating drug use and violence at the high-security facility. The report, released this week, reveals that this demand has been largely disregarded, sparking significant concern among penal reform advocates about the government's ability to prevent drug smuggling across the 123 prisons in England and Wales.
Charlie Taylor emphasized that inspectors initially found the category A and B jail, housing approximately 550 men, in an "appalling state." "The combination of drugs, violence, an inexperienced and demotivated staff team, and a very poor regime, meant the prison was failing in many of its most basic functions," he explained.
Drones Fuel Violence and Instability
Despite some minor improvements noted during a recent inspection, Taylor rated HMP Manchester, formerly known as Strangeways, as "poor" for safety and purposeful activity. He highlighted that progress remains "fragile" and is severely undermined by delays in installing secure windows and grilles designed to block drones.
"Drones continued to bring large quantities of drugs into the jail, which was leading to high levels of violence and instability," Taylor reported. He attributed this ongoing crisis to "a failure by leaders in the Prison Service and absurdly bureaucratic planning processes," noting that only a handful of windows had been replaced. This failure enables organized crime gangs to operate with impunity, compromising the safety of both prisoners and staff.
Alarming Statistics and Systemic Failures
The report outlines several critical issues:
- The rate of prisoners testing positive in random drug tests has remained unchanged.
- Self-harm rates continue to climb, with four men having taken their own lives since the last inspection.
- The jail is failing as a training prison, with staffing shortages leading to cancelled activities and 44% of inmates unemployed.
- Drastic education budget cuts of over 50% have reduced teacher numbers dramatically, resulting in an "inadequate" Ofsted rating.
Reactions from Reform Advocates
Andrea Coomber, chief executive of the Howard League, commented, "It is a sign of the intense pressure the prison system is under when a jail that was effectively put in special measures 15 months ago is still unable to protect people living and working there from harm."
Enver Solomon, chief executive of the social justice charity Nacro, added, "How can rehabilitation happen when drug use and violence are rife, and chronic staff shortages leave people in prison with little meaningful activity? When nearly half of prisoners are using drugs and many are locked in cells for up to 22 hours a day, rehabilitation doesn't stand a chance."
Government Response and Funding
The government has allocated £10 million across the entire prison estate for anti-drone measures. A Ministry of Justice spokesperson responded, "This is a prison operating under immense pressure after this government inherited a prison system at the peak of its crisis. We took immediate action to bring the system back from the point of collapse and while we welcome inspectors recognising the strong leadership now in place at HMP Manchester, we are taking urgent action to stop drones, upgrade security and tackle the flow of drugs which fuels violence behind bars."
However, the watchdog's findings suggest that these efforts have yet to yield meaningful results at HMP Manchester, raising serious questions about the effectiveness of current strategies to combat drug smuggling and improve prison safety nationwide.
