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<p>The Government is committed to reducing the supply of drugs into prison. The National
Offender Management Service (NOMS) already deploys a comprehensive range of robust
searching and security measures to detect items of contraband both at the point of
entry to the prison and concealed within the prison. We do not tolerate drugs in prison
and anyone caught with them will be punished and could face further prosecution.</p><p>
</p><p>The success of the strategy is illustrated by the reduction of drug misuse
in prisons, as measured by the random Mandatory Drug Testing (MDT) programme, which
has declined by 17.5 percentage points over the past 17 years, despite the fact that
NOMS is testing for more drugs than previously. Positive rates were 7.8% in 2009/2010
and 6.9% in 2014/2015.</p><p> </p><p>NOMS is aware of the increase of the use of New
Psychoactive Substances (NPS) across the prison estate and there is a wide-ranging
programme of work being undertaken to counteract NPS. This includes joint work with
the Home Office on legislation to control most NPS substances and make it illegal
to supply any NPS. This will allow prisons to press for the prosecution of those smuggling
NPS into prisons. Additionally, work is underway to develop new drug tests to detect
NPS substances, to strengthen perimeter defences, and to train drug dogs to detect
NPS.</p><p> </p><p>We have already made it a criminal offence to throw drugs and other
items over prison walls and the government's proposed new legislation will further
strengthen our powers. We have also included a clause within the Serious Crime Act,
which will create an offence of throwing or projecting any item over a prison perimeter
so that it lands in a prison</p><p> </p><p>We will continue to explore new methods
of preventing drugs coming into prisons such as new generation body scanners. The
first body scanner has been purchased and a programme of work is underway to assess
the most effective way to deploy body scanners across the estate, based on experience
of their use in an operational setting. NOMS will be supported in this by the Home
Office Centre for Applied Science and Technology. <br></p>
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