Dark Skies: Criminal Drone Operations Targeting Prisons

This brief examines the growing use of unmanned aerial vehicles by serious and organised criminal groups, with specific regard to His Majesty's Prison Estate in the United Kingdom. It draws on the author's own primary experience and research alongside open-source information and intelligence.

Drones are being used effectively to smuggle contraband and disrupt routine business inside prisons, and the problem is escalating, with criminal networks sharing methods and adapting to avoid detection. Recent inspections by civil authorities have cited the issue as a risk to national security. The brief closes with a legislative review of where responsibility currently rests.