Drone drugs problem persists at prison

A prison has once again been criticised by inspectors over failures to deal with illegal drugs being delivered by drone.

His Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons visited HMP Bullingdon near Bicester, Oxfordshire, between 13 and 15 April and noted several areas of insufficient progress.

Among the concerns were use of force, limited time inmates were allowed out of their cells and security weaknesses.

The Ministry of Justice said the government "inherited a prison system in crisis" and was "urgently tackling staff shortages at HMP Bullingdon".

A previous inspection of HMP Bullingdon in 2025 showed outcomes for its more than 1,000 prisoners had deteriorated in several key areas compared to 2022.

A 43% increase in positive drug tests was recorded, which had contributed to a 27% increase in violence.

According to the latest report, "no meaningful progress has been made" as the mandatory drug testing positive rate "was among the highest for this type of prison".

"The availability of drugs was driving an increase in violence," the report added.

The report also stated that officers had used force 731 times in the past six months, similar to the six months before the inspectors' previous visit.

It also found that assaults between prisoners had increased to 213 in the six months before this inspection, compared to 198 in the six months prior to their previous visit.

Relationships between staff and prisoners had also not improved and the report said "key work was too limited".

The report found that officer shortages continued to limit meaningful interactions with prisoners, and more than half of the population was locked up during the working day.

It did add though that Ofsted found reasonable progress by prison leaders in the development of prisoners' employability skills and the prison's reading strategy, but the curriculum and the quality of teaching were not good enough, and attendance at education was especially poor.

Charlie Taylor, HM chief inspector of prisons, concluded that despite limited evidence of progress overall, "there were indications that Bullingdon is a prison with potential".

"The recent appointment of an experienced governor and the commitment of the hard working staff group were encouraging," he said.

"However, urgent and sustained attention from national leaders is needed for the prison to overcome significant and persistent challenges that include staff recruitment and tackling the ongoing threat of illicit drugs."

The prison has been experiencing "sustained overcrowding" and high levels of violence for years.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: "This government inherited a prison system in crisis, rife with drugs and violence. Frontline staff continue to work closely with the police to support the prosecutions of those involved in smuggling in contraband.

"We are urgently tackling staff shortages at HMP Bullingdon by focusing on recruitment and fast-tracking former prison officers into the prison."