Efforts to prevent drones from delivering drugs and weapons to inmates in UK prisons are being hampered by the crumbling walls of Victorian-era facilities. Prison governors report that plans to install tougher netting and window grilles have been set back because the aging walls cannot support the extra weight.
Structural Challenges at HMP Pentonville
At HMP Pentonville, a Victorian prison in north London, recent attempts to install anti-drone netting were stalled after engineers discovered that the bricks were too soft to hold the necessary tension. Some netting was installed over the exercise yard several years ago, but plans to extend stronger mesh across other parts of the prison have been delayed. An industry insider attributed the problem to the use of London stock brick in the prison's construction in 1842, noting that both the bricks and the old mortar are too soft to securely fix ropes and meshes. To overcome this, steel brackets and support systems must be designed to share the load, a difficult task in restricted spaces.
Rising Drone Incidents
The number of drone incidents in prisons has skyrocketed by over 1,000% in four years, with gang members flying packages directly to cell windows. Inmates use hooks to retrieve packages, which can weigh over 15kg and contain items such as weight loss drugs, anabolic steroids, and fast food. Charlie Taylor, the chief inspector of prisons for England and Wales, stated that the Prison Service has “ceded the airspace above many of our prisons to serious organised crime,” creating a national security threat. Drone incursions recorded by prisons rose from 138 in the year to March 2021 to 1,712 in the year to March 2025, not including undetected drops.
Anti-Drone Measures and Investment
Physical measures like netting, wires, and grilles are considered the most effective way to prevent contraband from entering prisons, but they face structural hurdles. Tom Wheatley, president of the Prison Governors Association, noted that in some prisons, such measures put too much weight on walls. The government has promised £10 million for anti-drone measures, and a Prison Service spokesperson emphasized that all improvements are tailored to individual jails following structural assessments. The government has invested over £40 million in physical security enhancements to combat drone activity. In March, a gang that used drones to smuggle drugs into Pentonville and other London prisons was jailed. Justice Secretary David Lammy visited Ukrainian military in January to discuss adapting battlefield tactics to combat drone use in jails.
