Prisons and Probation Minister Edward Argar said:  

Our clamp down to stop drugs, weapons and phones from getting into prisons is working.  

The new tech we’ve brought in is making prisons safer for staff and ensuring prisoners focus on their rehab so we continue to cut crime.

X-ray scanners across the prison estate have helped thwart thousands of attempts to smuggle illicit items behind bars, often via the bowels of prisoners. Items that have been uncovered include mobile phones, charging leads, tobacco and drug packages.  

The government’s investment of up to £100 million in bolstered prison security measures has seen 95 prisons now equipped with next-generation trace detection equipment and 75 equipped with X-ray body scanners.