Police capture drones near high-security prison

Tackling drones dropping drugs, weapons and other contraband into a high-security prison in Worcestershire is a priority for investigators, West Mercia Police has said.

In an attempt to mobilise public support, the force has revealed it has captured seven drones in the air near HMP Long Lartin over the last year. It said it had arrested 18 people, though none have yet been charged.

Despite a no-fly zone being in place around Long Lartin, residents living nearby said it had made no difference to the illegal drone drops.

"This is a force priority," said Det Ch Insp James Bamber, who urged the public to report any drone activity nearby.

Long Lartin holds some of the most dangerous offenders in the country.

In January, the prisons watchdog warned that drones making drops at the Category A men's prison posed a national security risk.

The West Mercia force confirmed nine separate investigations into drone drops were currently ongoing, with 18 people either on bail or in remand following arrests.

"We've been able to seize Class A drugs, flick knives and mobile phones and other prohibited items going into the prison," said Det Ch Insp Bamber.

While he did not reveal the force's covert tactics, he explained that eyewitness reports were a key factor in tackling the problem and urged residents living nearby the prison to report any suspicious activity.

"We feel there's a lot of reports and sightings that go under-reported," he said.

"There is no innocent reason why these drones should be anywhere near Long Lartin. The quicker we get that call, the quicker we can get our assets out there and catch them hopefully."

"These people are serious, organised criminals. They're not local residents. It is a lucrative business for them."

Since January 2024, no-fly zones have been in place around all closed prisons, including Long Lartin.

A new law made it an automatic offence by simply flying a drone within 400m of a prison, with drone operators caught smuggling illicit items facing up to a decade behind bars.

However, in January the chief inspector of prisons said urgent action was required at Long Lartin, with drops of contraband so regular that guns could be smuggled in.

A damning report revealed serious concerns with safety and security.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, two residents living next to the prison said the no-fly zone had made no difference.

"We've had five, six, seven drones at once sometimes," said one.

"These are large helicopter-style drones capable of lifting reasonable-sized packages."

"It's really problematic and a little bit unnerving."

"They come across on a regular basis. Usually at night. You can have two or three in an evening sometimes," said a second resident.

"You see the flashing lights from the drones, or you can hear them. And we tend not to see anybody if there's a drone flying because they're probably a mile or so away."

While the first resident said police had responded to calls, they felt both the force and prison were too reactive, with little technology in place to prevent drone flights from taking place.

"There's been absolutely nothing tangible… There's a sense of a feeling, from all of the residents, that no one really cares," they said.

"It's certainly us that's taking the risk whether or not we approach these people, whether we report it."

"There needs to be a concrete plan in Parliament."

Although Long Lartin is surrounded by a tall perimeter wall, most of the prison's CCTV cameras are in a fixed position, unable to swivel to look outside the boundary.

The Ministry of Justice said work was continuing to review site vulnerabilities at HMP Long Lartin, to stop criminals smuggling in drugs and other illicit items.

It said the Prison and Probation Service was also investing in improvements to windows, installing specialised netting and grilles to stop drones.

While Det Ch Insp Bamber would not comment on whether the prison itself was equipped to deal with the drone threat, he said he believed West Mercia Police had sufficient resources to tackle the problem.

For example, in one incident in December, officers responded to two reports of a drone sighting in the sky over HMP Long Lartin.

Officers quickly "flooded" the area, before the force used a stinger device to puncture the tyres of a suspect vehicle.

Suspected Class A drugs were also discovered and three men, aged 20, 21 and 28, were arrested.

The 20-year-old and 21-year-old were also arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to convey prohibited items into a prison.

The force said all three men were currently on police bail.

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