CITY PRISON'S DRUG TEST SHAME

Random tests have revealed that HMP Peterborough has one of the
highest instances of illicit drug use in the country.

Drug smuggling and dealing behind bars has led to inmates being able
to access substances such as heroin, cannabis and "downers".

Research by the Ministry of Justice shows that 6.1 per cent of
randomly tested prisoners in the women's block had benzodiazepines,
known on the streets as benzos, jellies or downers in their systems -
the second highest of any prison in England or Wales.

Meanwhile, more than one in ten men (11.5 per cent) had opiates such
as the class A drug heroin in their bodies, the third highest number
out of the country's jails, while 9.7 per cent tested positive for
cannabis. Mike Conway is governor of HMP Peterborough.

He said: "Peterborough like all prisons receive a high proportion of
offenders who have drug abuse problems.

"We have strategies in place to reduce supply and demand. We operate a
drugs offending behaviour programme, and we have put over 1,000
prisoners through drugs detox so far this year.

"The drugs problem at Peterborough is mainly opiates, but when all
drugs are taken into account Peterborough is in the middle range of
prisons in terms of scale of the problem.

"The difficulty that all prisons face is that between half and
two-thirds of all prisoners coming in have substance abuse problems.

"We are very effective in disrupting drug supply into the prison
through the use of drug dogs, searching, intelligence and banning of
some visitations."

Concerned Peterborough MP Stewart Jackson plans to meet with Mr Conway
to discuss the situation.

He said: "Obviously I am disappointed with these figures. We need to
educate prisoners about drug use and work to get them off drugs.

"I want to be reassured that the prison is doing everything possible
to prevent illegal substances getting to prisoners."

Among women prisoners, the use of cannabis and opiates was much lower
compared to the men, with one per cent tested proving positive for
cannabis and one per cent for opiates.

The figures were published as ministers announced that testing for the
opiate substitute buprenorphine is to be introduced into all prisons
next month.

Their drug survey focused on the illicit use of buprenorphine - also
known as Subutex - and discovered positive results in 63 jails,
including HMP Peterborough.

In fact, random tests showed the male block had the more prisoners
testing positive for that substance than in any other jail in the East
of England (3.5 per cent), with the female block coming fourth in a
league (one per cent) of 15 prisons.

A spokesman for HMP Peterborough said: "HMP Peterborough is a local
prison, and in local prisons traditionally there are higher amounts of
illicit drug use due to more contact with the outside world, people
going to and from court, etc."

By contrast, high-security HMP Whitemoor, in March, had low numbers of
prisoners testing positive for drugs, with none testing positive for
cannabis, benzos or buprenorphine and 4.3 per cent testing positive
for opiates.