The prison service is piloting an IT-based intelligence system
to tackle drug use in jails.
A
review on drugs in prisons by former Inspector of Constabulary
David Blakey concluded that, "The lack of an integrated
intelligence system is perhaps the major drawback in disrupting
drugs getting into prisons."
Technology use in prisons is "uncoordinated and somewhat
ad-hoc," he said.
Prisoner records are held on paper, while the
Police National Computer is only available at a few prisons.
There is no system in place to allow information to be shared
between prisons, and intelligence sources such as prison bank
accounts are not being exploited.
One of the report's recommendations was that the national system
for
intelligence in prisons should continue to be established.
The National Intelligence Model, which aims to integrate the
disparate information sources, has been budgeted at £6m, but could
end up costing "substantially more", said Blakey. The Ministry of
Justice has accepted all Blakey's recommendations.
Successfully analysing intelligence could help staff know who to
search, which visitors to ban, and where to patrol.
Blakey said, "Much good work on intelligence gathering is going
on in prisons. But the effort is not yet linked up and valuable
intelligence is stored in stand-alone systems and in individual
memories."
In addition, scanning technology should be more widely used to
detect mobile phones on prisoners, which are used to contact drug
dealers, he said. Body Orifice Scanner System (Boss) chairs should
be rolled out to every prison.
Boss chairs are "non-threatening looking plastic armchairs"
which "can and do detect metal or plastic in body orifices".
Blakey also advocated mobile phone blocking systems for every
prison.