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Drug seizures up at town’s prison
MAIDSTONE Prison, which houses nearly 600 foreign nation- als, has seen a sharp rise in con- traband seizures of drugs and mobile phones.
Ministry of Justice data shows there were 204 captures of drugs fromApril 2019 to March 2020 compared to 74 in 2018-19, while there were 316 discoveries of mo- biles, up from 165. The number of SIM cards found rose from 86 to 170.
Seizures of alcohol, distilling paraphernalia and weapons were all down in the same period, al- though tobacco smuggling was up by a third.
Stepped-up security and search- ing processes are driving the in- creases of contraband interception. A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: “We are finding and stopping more drugs, weapons and phones getting into the hands of prisoners than ever before. Our £100 million investment in prison security, in- cluding X-ray body scanners, will help continue to tackle the contra- band which drives prison violence.” The last big inspection, led by HM Prison Inspector Peter Clarke in October 2018, had identified cat- egory C Maidstone as having a sig- nificant drug problem. At the time of his report, he noted “the jail was warned not to be complacent about worrying signs of an increasing drugs problem”.
Mr Clarke's team reported that in the previous six months, intelli-
gence-led searches had recovered 48 mobile phones, eight SIM cards and 102 packages of drugs. The report stated: “Shortly after
our inspection, 15 parcels contain- ing mobile phones and drugs were thrown over the perimeter wall in a single night. A scanner was used to test incoming mail for illicit sub- stances and had yielded substantial finds.”
Independent Maidstone borough councillor Eddie Pow- ell (pictured) said: “If the increases in the recovery of mobiles and drugs are as a re- sult of tight- e
n e d
regimes, it is to be welcomed and long may it continue.
“What I cannot understand is
why we are still entertaining these people. Foreign criminals should be deported.” l THE Ministry of Justice is in- vesting £2.75bn on 10,000 addi- tional prison places, better security against drugs, phones and weapons with the use of airport- style scanners, phone-blocking technology and sniffer dogs. A spokesman said: “We are also expanding our intelligence and counter-corruption capabilities which target those who attempt to smuggle drugs into our prisons.”
Cyclists boost NHS charity THE NHS charitable body is set to benefit from a sponsored bike ride by two local building industry workers.
Nick Dibble and John Roberts took on the challenge with 12 of their colleagues on September 12, in aid of Maidstone and Tun- bridge Wells NHS (MTW) Charitable Fund. The team rode 13 miles from from Maidstone Hospital to Tun- bridge Wells Hospital, hoping to raise £500.
Arrest after M2 crash
A SNODLAND BMW driver was arrested on suspicion of drink driving after a crash on the M2. The 34-year-old was driving a grey 3-series at about 2am on September 5, when it was said to have been in a collision with a white Nissan at J5 of the M2, London- bound. Two people were taken to hospital with minor injuries. A police statement said: “The al-
leged driver of the BMW was also arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of drink and drugs and has been released pend- ing further enquiries. “Investigating officers would like any witnesses to come for- ward. They would particularly like to view any dash cam footage of ei- ther of the vehicles in the moments leading up to the collision.”
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