§ Mr. Peter BottomleyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many undercover police operations investigating the use or supply of illegal drugs took place in prison establishments in each of the past two years; if the prison authorities were notified in advance and if(a) use and (b) supply was detected. [107929]
§ Mr. BoatengThere are occasions when, at the request of the police, or other investigatory authority, approval is granted for an undercover operation to be conducted within a prison. There were eight such operations in 1998 and 16 in 1999. All these operations took place with approval from Prison Service headquarters and the prior knowledge of the local prison authorities. Two of the above operations related to the supply of drugs within the prisons concerned but the majority related to the large scale supply of illegal drugs outside prison. The outcome of these operations is not known to the prison authorities.
There will also have been a number of operations conducted locally to each prison involving co-operation between the local police and the prison in relation to the supplying of illegal drugs into that prison. Information concerning these operations is not collated centrally but it is known that in the 12 months ending 31 December 1999, 823 visitors to prison were arrested attempting to bring drugs into prisons.