Arrests made after parcels thrown over Northants prison walls

Secretly-filmed picture of an object being thrown into a prison

An operation to stop packages being thrown into a prison has led to 14 people being arrested, police said.

The crackdown at privately run HMP Five Wells in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, began in January.

It follows incidents where people on the outside have launched drugs, mobile phones and other banned items over the walls to be picked up by inmates.

Measures taken included identifying structural weaknesses in the building and bringing in a patrol dog.

Mobile phones and drugs are among the items most commonly thrown over prison walls

The operation at HMP Five Wells has been led by Northamptonshire Police's criminal investigation department.

The force said there had been 90 so-called "throw-overs" in the first six months of the year, and 44 between July and November, with a significant fall in the last two months.

Det Insp Torie Harrison said: "People may think that throwing illegal items over prison walls is a victimless crime, but that's not the case.

"Mobile phones are used inside prisons to facilitate organised crime on the outside, as well to intimidate witnesses and victims. And the dangers of drugs are well documented.

"We hope these results send a clear message to any offenders that there is a strong chance you will be caught if you choose to throw illegal items over the prison walls."

The jail opened in 2022 and is run by the security firm, G4S.

Former prison officers who had left their jobs at Five Wells told the BBC earlier this year that violence was common and nothing was done about prisoners having weapons.

The police have been checking for structural weaknesses at the prison, which would make it easier for so-called "throw-overs" to occur