Perth Prison has seen a doubling in the number of weapon finds plus incidents of serious inmate assaults which resulted in hospital admissions.
Figures provided by the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act show the Edinburgh Road establishment, which has seen a £82.1 million revamp in recent years, had seven prisoner assaults which resulted in “serious injury” in the 2013/14 financial year.
This led to some prisoners receiving stitches, with some requiring hospital treatment. Scottish Prisons Service (SPS) supplied statistics covering the financial years from 2009/10 to 2013/14.
Perhaps the most alarming statistic was the increase in the number of weapons found in Perth Prison, which increased from 14 in 2012/13 to 30 in 2013/14.
A prison source confirmed these weapons ranged from cutlery, a toothbrush which had been adapted to cause injury and possibly razor blades.
The figure is still not as high as that reached for weapon-related finds in 2009/10 at Perth Prison, which was 39.
The prison also saw 127 prisoner assaults during this time classed as “minor/non-injury” and 13 assaults on staff again classed in the same category.
Perth Prison had 99 drug-related finds in 2013/14, which increased from 93 in the previous financial year and 41 mobile phone-related offences in 2013/14, which also rose from 27 in 2012/13.
In one case, a 51-year-old man was fined £500 at Perth Sheriff Court in April for possessing diamorphine (heroin) in his cell at the prison.
However, this figure is down from 137 drug-related finds back in the 2009/10 financial year.
Despite the statistics, Perth Prison governor Fraser Munro defended the record of the establishment and said the SPS takes incidents of violence “very seriously.”
“The SPS has a zero tolerance approach, whether the victim is a prisoner or a member of staff,” he said.
“Thankfully, most incidents result in minor or no injury and in this area, HMP Perth has seen a reducing trend over the last five years. All violent assaults are also reported to the police.”
He continued: “Drug-related finds will include items such as prescribed medication and a find can be a single tablet.
“We will also test substances we suspect might be illegal. We take the presence of drugs in prison very seriously and have invested heavily in resources to tackle the challenges that this issue presents.”
Mr Munro said “it is worthy of note” that a recent prisoner survey highlighted the percentage of prisoners who had ever used illicit drugs in prisons had reduced from 58% 12 years ago to 38% more recently.
“There is, however, no complacency on the part of the SPS,” he commented. And he added any mobile phone offences are reported to the police.
“The SPS has invested heavily in resources in recent years to tackle the problem of mobile phones in prison,” he added.
“We work closely with other agencies to develop intelligence which allow us to better target these resources.”