No-Fly Zones to Ground Drone Drug Drops at UK Prisons
Big crackdown alert! New no-fly zones will cover all prisons in England and Wales to stop gangs dropping drugs and contraband by drone.
400-Metre Drone Ban Around Prisons
From 25 January 2024, flying a drone within 400 metres of any closed prison or young offender institution will be an automatic offence. Breaking the rules could cost operators fines up to £2,500. Smugglers face up to 10 years behind bars.
Drones on the Rise Around Jails
Drone sightings near prisons have soared recently. Police could only act if they caught clear evidence of illegal smuggling — until now. The new virtual no-fly zones let prison staff and cops snap into action the moment a suspicious drone appears. It also beefs up security by stopping illegal filming.
Prisons Minister Damian Hinds said: “This is the latest step in the war we are winning to stop drugs, weapons and phones getting into our prisons. These virtual ‘no-fly’ zones – along with our new airport-style X-ray scanners – mean we can clamp down better than ever on violence behind bars to keep both prisoners and staff safe from harm.”
Staggering Stats Show Scale of the Problem
- Between 2019-2021, 504 drones were spotted or caught near English prisons.
- Since June 2016, police and prison staff have secured 70+ convictions linked to drone smuggling.
- Those sentenced are serving over 240 years combined behind bars.
- One drone attempt in May 2022 carried £35,000 of illegal goods including 399 buprenorphine tablets, 30 grams of cannabis, and 11 phones.
£100 Million Investment Fuels Security Boost
The drone crackdown follows a £100 million boost to prison security. This includes 75 extra x-ray body scanners and airport-style Enhanced Gate Security at 42 high-risk jails. Staff and visitors now face regular searches.
The new measures, made law on 16 October 2023 with backing from the Department of Transport and Civil Aviation Authority, build on the Air Traffic and Unmanned Aircraft Act 2021. That law empowers police to seize drones suspected of illegal use, including breaching the Prison Act 1952.
Drone smugglers beware — the skies above UK prisons are about to get a whole lot emptier.
