Prison Director Details Contraband Smuggling Methods and Inmate Fatalities

Prison officials have stated that illicit substances can enter correctional facilities via drone deliveries, corrupt staff members, and even concealed within children’s nappies. The director of HMP Parc, a facility in Bridgend operated by the private firm G4S, faced questioning from Members of Parliament on the Welsh affairs select committee. This inquiry occurred after 17 inmates died at the prison. When questioned about the primary methods of contraband infiltration, Will Styles stated that “there are a number of ingress routes.” He elaborated, saying, “It can be thrown over the wall, it can be brought in by visitors – secreted in their bodily orifices – or in children’s nappies… staff corruption is an issue in many prisons.” Styles identified drone deliveries, “being organised by organised crime gangs,” as a “key route” for smuggling, noting it was “certainly being experienced at Parc.” He further specified, “In our case, organised crime gangs which we think are centred around Wales and the Midlands.” Gordon Brockington, the managing director for G4S, affirmed that the “vast majority of staff that work at Parc are not corrupt,” yet acknowledged that staff corruption represented one method for contraband smuggling. Mr Brockington explained the efficiency of drone smuggling, stating: “It takes 20 seconds to get a drone over the wall, drugs into the prison, and back out again. And you’re looking for very, very small amounts of drugs that create an enormous problem in a prison.” The committee was presented with testimony concerning Parc’s governance and culture, and its members were informed that safety conditions within the prison had seen improvement. This year, the facility has recorded 17 inmate fatalities, and multiple prison employees have been apprehended on suspicion of assault and misconduct in public office. Mr Brockington detailed the causes of these deaths, noting that eight were attributed to natural causes, three were self-inflicted, and five were suspected to be drug-related. He also mentioned that Parc accommodates an ageing inmate population, with 16% of prisoners exceeding 50 years of age, and functions as one of two palliative care centres. A further “significant issue” highlighted was the entry of nitazenes, a synthetic opioid, into the prison during the first six months of the year. He described these as “drugs that are up to 1,000 times more powerful than morphine.” Ruth Jones, who chairs the committee and serves as the Labour MP for Newport West and Islwyn, inquired whether the prison could assure the safety of its inmates. Mr Styles responded that “an awful lot of work” had been undertaken to enhance safety and security measures. He asserted, “I think we’ve made really significant progress in improving safety outcomes,” adding, “Certainly when we look at measures including self-harm and violence the metrics have improved very significantly.” Furthermore, he noted that no non-natural deaths had occurred at the prison since June. “The feedback from the men is also that things are improving in terms of conditions for them, in terms of the regime and in terms of safety,” he concluded.