Source · Select Committees · Justice Committee
Recommendation 177
177
Deferred
Regard staff exposures to drugs as serious workplace safety violations requiring immediate investigation.
Conclusion
HMPPS must regard staff exposures to drugs as serious workplace safety violations, not as a normal part of the job and must take immediate action to investigate and resolve the causes of such incidents. (Recommendation, Paragraph 67)
Government Response Summary
The government's response discusses tackling Serious and Organised Crime related to drone incursions and illicit mobile phones, declining to lead dedicated task forces for organised crime, rather than addressing staff exposure to drugs as a workplace safety violation.
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government
Deferred
We recognise the serious threat posed by Serious and Organised Crime (SOC) seeking to compromise prison security through drone incursions and illicit mobile phones and we agree that strong partnerships and intelligence-sharing are essential in tackling these risks effectively. HMPPS already works closely with law enforcement agencies, including the National Crime Agency and the police, through established tasking arrangements and intelligence-sharing protocols. Our Headquarters teams provide targeted support to the most at-risk prisons, ensuring that local security strategies are informed by national intelligence and operational priorities. In addition, our Area Intelligence Units play a critical role in gathering and analysing intelligence on serious and organised crime within prisons. While we do not accept the recommendation to lead dedicated task forces targeting organised crime – this responsibility sits with the Home Office and policing – we do remain committed to supporting cross government efforts. Through the SOC model, HMPPS funds 47 policing roles focused on combating SOC and corruption linked to prisons. We also co-lead the new Quarterly Partnership Prison and Probation Executive Oversight Board with the National Police Chiefs’ Council, which coordinates joint activity to address threats such as illicit phones and drone-related criminality.