Fifteen months after the Chief Inspector of Prisons invoked the Urgent Notification process at HMP Manchester, inspectors returning to the jail found that the failure to prevent drones delivering illicit items has continued.
HM Prisons Inspectorate said the prison service had made “very little progress” in installing secure windows and grilles to stop drugs getting in, and half of the prisoners surveyed during the inspection said that it was easy to get hold of illicit substances.
The latest inspections took place between 12 and 22 January 2026. A report detailing the findings, issued on April 14, notes that drones continued to bring large quantities of drugs into the jail, which was leading to high levels of violence and instability.
“A failure by leaders in the prison service and absurdly bureaucratic planning processes meant just a handful of windows had been replaced, with the consequence that organised crime gangs continued to operate with impunity in the prison and the safety of prisoners and staff was compromised,” the report states. “Additional staff had been deployed at night, meaning where drones were detected, cells could be quickly searched, and there was a good working relationship with the police which had led to the arrest of some perpetrators. Despite this, the number of prisoners testing positive in random drug tests was the same as at our last inspection.”
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