PRISON DRUGS PROBLEM MUST BE TACKLED - MLA

Prisoners failed almost 600 drug tests in Northern Ireland jails last
year - with a further 400 inmates refusing to undertake the voluntary
testing.

They were discovered to have taken a range of illegal substances,
including cocaine, cannabis, amphetamine, opiates, non-prescribed
tranquillisers and sedatives such as diazepam.

In addition, there were almost 1,800 drug finds made across Northern
Ireland's three prisons in the past five years, including 400 last
year.

The figures, released under Freedom of Information legislation, have
led to calls for tougher measures to be brought in to tackle the problem.

Policing Board member Peter Weir said security at Northern Ireland
jails - which currently house approximately 1,000 sentenced prisoners
and another 470 on remand - had to be reviewed.

"The amount of drugs getting into prisons is deeply disturbing," he
said.

The North Down DUP MLA added: "I think most people would find the
figures fairly shocking."

Some 580 drugs tests were failed across the Province's three prisons -
Maghaberry, Magilligan and Hydebank Wood - during 2007. That amounts
to 12 per cent of the total 5,007 tests conducted for drugs.

A Northern Ireland Prison Service spokesman said: "We take very
seriously the problem of drug abuse and use a system of voluntary drug
testing as part of the progressive regimes which operate in all
establishments."

Drug testing within the prison system in Northern Ireland is voluntary
for the prisoners, with more than 400 refusals last year.

The spokesman said mandatory drug testing is being considered by the
Government and is already in place in England and Wales.

He said the Prison Service used a number of methods to detect drugs
including physical searches, conducted on a regular but random basis,
of inmates, staff, visitors and cells.

Drug detection dogs were used in a bid to halt illegal substances
entering the jail.

Drugs awareness education for prisoners, including the help of outside
organisations, has had a significant impact on the amounts of drugs
now found in prisons, he said.

"Whereas it is impossible, without imposing the most draconian
measures, to prevent drugs being smuggled into prisons altogether we
are satisfied that the problem is being tackled effectively," said the
spokesman.

"That is not to say we will not continue to seek ways to eradicate the
abuse of drugs within prisons in Northern Ireland altogether.

"Prisons reflect the community they serve and the service is very
aware of the growing drugs culture in society.

"The number of prisoners who fail drugs tests is symptomatic of this
problem," the spokesman added.

It was revealed in Parliament that 692 drugs tests had been failed in
Northern Ireland prisons during 2006, down on the 1,150 of the
previous year.

In March 2004, Roseanne Irvine committed suicide in her cell in
Maghaberry prison, after taking an overdose earlier that day.