A FIFE councillor has called for more to be done to tackle the drugs problem plaguing Scotland’s jails.

Independent Andrew Rodger, a member of Fife Council’s police, fire and safety committee, claimed prisons had been awash with drugs for years.

His comments follow calls by Tory leader Annabel Goldie for a zero tolerance approach to drugs in prison similar to that in Pennsylvania, where jails are virtually 99% drugs free.

The strategy there relies on greater surveillance of inmates and visitors, increased and random urine analysis, more cell searches and surprise raids and the use of sniffer dogs.

All inmates are evaluated to see if they need drug abuse treatment when they enter the prison system.

Figures released at the end of last month revealed there had been a total of 1779 drugs finds in Scotland’s prisons last year, with seizures doubling in the last five years—a revelation which shocked Mr Rodger.

“The amount of drugs available in prisons scares me,” he said. “There has to be something wrong in the system because this has gone on for years.

“How do they get through without getting caught?

“We need to involve Narcotics Anonymous or someone like that to get the message through.”

Anne Pinkman, chief officer with Fife and Forth Valley Community Justice Association, said there were a number of agencies working in Scotland’s jails in relation to drugs, including a through care addiction service.

“I know people have mixed thoughts about methadone but one thing introduced in the last couple of years is where people on a methadone prescription are remanded or are serving short term prison sentences can get that script continued throughout their sentences,” she said.

“It was known that it was extremely disruptive if somebody was using methadone and it was stopped for two to three weeks while they were on remand as they would have to re-engage with services or go on the waiting list when they were released.

“During their time on the waiting list they would resort back to illicit drugs and they have to fund these illicit drugs somehow.”

CJAs plan to meet their drug and alcohol action teams in each of the country’s prisons to discuss what can be done and their findings will be reported back to Fife Council’s health and social work committee.