Joint operation targets contraband and criminal networks in Greater Manchester prisons

Last month, our officers joined forces with His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) and the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit (NWROCU) to disrupt and prevent serious organised crime linked to prison communities.

The operation focused on tackling the supply of drugs and other contraband entering prisons through various means, including throwovers and drone drops.

Over a two-week period, we targeted four prisons in our region: HMP Manchester in the city centre, HMP Buckley Hall in Rochdale, HMP Forest Bank in Salford, and HMP Hindley in Wigan.

High-visibility policing operations were carried out both inside and outside these prisons. The goal was clear: pursue, identify, and bring to justice those responsible for smuggling drugs and contraband into our prison estates.

Before the operation began, officers engaged with local communities, delivering more than 600 leaflets to raise awareness of the operation and its aims, as well as promoting the ‘See a Drone, Make it Known’ campaign.

In partnership with each prison, our officers searched staff members and their vehicles as they headed into work. Members of the public attending social visits were also checked before entering the prison to see their loved ones.

In total, more than 70 people and vehicles were stop-searched, resulting in several positive outcomes. For example, a man in his 40s was arrested on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon after being found with a knuckle duster outside Forest Bank.

Forest Bank became the epicentre of action during the operation, with arrests made for possession of Class B drugs and drug driving. In two separate incidents, offenders attempted to evade detection after spotting officers conducting roadside checks at the prison entrance.

At HMP Manchester, our officers, alongside HMPPS, seized and destroyed more than 500 mobile phones, electronic devices, and SIM cards that had been confiscated from inmates over the last 18 months. Mobile phones and SIM cards are often used by prisoners to coordinate serious organised crime across Greater Manchester, including drug and weapon supply and serious violence.

More information about these seizures can be found here:
More than 500 mobile phones have been crushed after being seized from prisoners at HMP Manchester | Greater Manchester Police

Continuing with the mobile phone theme, cell searches at HMP Hindley resulted in six iPhones being confiscated from inmates. Investigations are ongoing, and if those responsible are found guilty, they will face additional jail time.

At HMP Buckley Hall and other prison estates, we conducted high-visibility patrols to detect suspicious activity, particularly the threat of contraband being thrown over prison walls.

Detective Superintendent Iqbal Ahmed, our Force strategic lead for the threat from organised crime in prisons, said: “This operation demonstrates our commitment to tackling organised crime both inside and outside prison walls. Criminal networks often use prisons as a base to coordinate serious offences, including drug supply, violence, and exploitation, and we will not allow that to happen.

“By working closely with His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service and the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit, we’ve been able to disrupt these networks, seize illegal items, and prevent harm from reaching our communities.

“Our message is clear: if you attempt to smuggle contraband or use prisons to orchestrate crime, we will identify you and bring it to an end. This partnership approach is vital in keeping both our prisons and our streets safe, and we will continue to take robust action against anyone who seeks to undermine that.”

Minister for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending, Lord Timpson, added: “Contraband such as drugs and phones wreak havoc behind bars – fuelling violence, risking the safety of staff, and hampering efforts to rehabilitate offenders.

“That is why collaboration with the police is so vital, sending a clear message to those attempting to smuggle illicit items into our jails: we will detect, disrupt, and put a stop to your criminal activity.

“This is on top of the £40 million we’re investing this year to bolster prison security, including clamping down on drones with measures such as exterior netting and reinforced windows.”