Prison Security Breached by Drone to Transfer Knife, drugs and phones into the jail.
This can easily pass as a very daring night-time action in which a drone was used to smuggle weapons, cell phones and drugs at the high profile Bedford Prison.
The wicked maneuver only got identified when the remote control device got entrapped on the prison’s security wall razor wire and a staff member spotted and retrieved it.
This is definitely the first of its kind infiltration in a British jail that involved the use of a remote-controlled aircraft.
The drone was a China made and carried a package that was full of drugs, screwdrivers, knife and mobile phones.
It is possible that the drone’s “pilot” wanted to direct it to a location where it can easily hover upon a cell window so that the prisoner(s) might be able to grab the illegally sent cargo.
Drones are already an object of concern for the police and the department want to be empowered enough to seize their use if they suspect any abuse.
This incident happened at UK’s Bedford prison about two weeks ago and the drone involved was a DJI Phantom 2 Vision. This particular aircraft weighs only 2.5pounds but has half a mile range, according to DailyMail.
Fitted to this device was a wide-angle camera. It can easily be bought from an electrical retailer or from an online shop for just £900.
As per a Bedfordshire Police representative: ”We were called to reports that a small drone had been discovered alongside a package at HMP Bedford at 11.30pm on March 6. Both the device and the contents of the package are currently being examined and investigations are on-going.”
The jail’s capacity doesn’t allow detainment of more than 500 inmates.
In an HM Inspectorate of Prison report, it was revealed that the staff’s main challenge was the elimination of ‘the inward trafficking of unauthorised items, including mobile telephones and illegal drugs’.
A representative of the Association of Remotely Piloted Aircraft System, Adam Bailey, stated:
“It’s a pretty stupid way of trying to get stuff into a prison. A drone sounds like a swarm of bees and has flashing lights so you’re likely to attract attention. You’d have to be very skilled to pull this off and these guys clearly weren’t.”
It is also possible that the perpetrators rehearsed for the drone’s flight last month.
Farhat Erdogan, a 29-year old worker from the nearby Londis store, believes that two men are involved because he “saw these guys in their 30s with a drone and wondered what they were doing. They were standing near traffic lights a couple of hundred yards from the prison. I watched as they sent the drone up into the air.”
As far as the drone is concerned, the Phantom Vision devices are really small and compact due to which these can easily fit anywhere even into a suitcase’s corner. Its manufacturer DJI maintains that the drone can fly for around 50minutes if it has an extra battery.
No arrests have been made in the connection of Bedford jail incident and police has requested for relevant information. According to police’s spokesperson, the cargo was ‘quickly intercepted by vigilant staff.’
