Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what data his Department collects on the number of items thrown over the walls into prisons.

The Ministry of Justice does hold data on the number of incidents of items being thrown into prisons, however releasing the method of entry for contraband items is a security risk. Therefore, it cannot be released to answer this PQ.

We are committed to tackling all methods of smuggling into prisons, including throwovers. We completed the £100 million Security Investment Programme in March 2022, which included funding to bolster physical security measures. Prisons also conduct perimeter searches based on their Local Security Strategy to address the threat of throwovers, which complement physical barriers such as fencing and netting.

Intelligence and information relating to the conveyance of illicit items into prisons is shared routinely with the police and serves to inform and direct operational activity, which in turn drives arrests and prosecutions.