Scots jails are 'breeding ground for organised crime', warns prison bosses

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Prison bosses fear the rise in gangsterism in Scotland is “creating the serious organised criminals of tomorrow”.

Experts believe YOI Polmont – which houses young male prisoners – is witnessing the same alarming increase in organised crime violence that is now exploding in other jails across the country.

Tony Martin, the Scottish Prison Service’s divisional head of operational delivery, said the signs are clear organised crime groups are getting their claws in youngsters, who end up in jail before they have a chance to mature.

The claims come after the Daily Record revealed that violence in prisons has erupted, with a surge in attacks and more than £3million spent for contract hits within the prison estate.

Martin, a former deputy governor at the prison, said he was saddened at what was being witnessed by officers, many of whom are dedicated and highly trained in rehabilitating youngsters who have gone astray.

He said: “I think we are seeing more and more young people associating themselves with serious organised crime groups.

“In some ways, I think it’s about manipulation and I think it’s playing on people’s vulnerabilities, that these young people are getting involved in criminality. They are potentially the serious organised criminals of tomorrow, sadly.”

Martin said he was well used to minor disputes leading to violence at Polmont, where many prisoners have suffered childhood trauma.

He said: “It could be over one guy wanting to fight over another guy’s trainers.

“That’s low-level violence. But more and more in my time there, we were starting to see the claw of serious organised crime coming into play.

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“It’s sad because Polmont has more resources put in than any other prison and services and partnership working because, if we’re into the business of rehabilitation, that’s the place to rehabilitate people.

“We try hard to get to them before they go too far down the criminal road.”

Martin praised staff who try to turn things around, saying: “As much as I said that Polmont is a potential breeding ground for people to get involved in criminality, the staff there work tirelessly to try and turn these young people around.

“The young people’s estate has dropped significantly in the last five, six years, and there is something positive happening with young people in general terms.

“When I worked there previously, during Covid there was over 700 young people there. There’ll be less than 300 in it today.

“But of that population, there’s a core group of people who need to
be in prison.” He said the Polmont experience reflects what is happening in the community.

Martin added: “We wouldn’t have serious organised crime within prisons if there wasn’t serious organised crime within the community.

“Some of the high-profile cases that you’ve seen, these are serious individuals and groups who are getting long periods in custody. That has got to contribute to making our community safer.

“So the unfortunate side effect to that is we have to look after more people.”

Martin said that across the prison estate officers continue to offer support where possible.

He said: “I think we will continue to care for as much as we possibly
can in the most professional and supportive manner.

“If prison numbers reduced, it would make our job easier.

“It would support the more positive aspects of prison, like access to activity, access to regime. However, at present, we don’t have that luxury.”

The Record reported on Saturday how a recent flood of major gangsters into our prisons is putting more strain on the system, where violent attacks are already off the scale.

We told how gangland contract violence now tops a record £3million.

The numbers of crime gang members inside has soared by 21 per cent in a year – with 653 now in the system on a daily basis. Violent incidents each month have exploded from 95 in 2022 to 163 this year – a rise of 72 per cent.

And the number of drones known to have carried deadly drug and weapon cargoes to jails has rocketed from seven in 2022 to 67 this year so far – up tenfold.

An alarming eight per cent of Scotland’s prison population has been identified as a member of an organised crime group, according to SPS intelligence reports.

Successful Police Scotland investigations mean several drug kingpins are now serving long sentences – but it is strongly suspected they may continue their empires behind bars.

The cracking of the Encrochat encrypted phone network led to big fish being caught in the net by the National Crime Agency and Police Scotland.

Biggest of them was Jamie Stevenson, who was jailed for 20 years at the High Court in Glasgow for running a £100million cocaine importation racket and £28million street Valium production.

Christopher Smith was jailed for seven years for running a
drugs empire from his cell at HMP Edinburgh.

Smith’s drugs operation unravelled after detectives examined mobile phones recovered from drug couriers on the Isle of Skye .Also in October, gang member Martin Murphy was jailed for four years after being caught with a £90,000 cocaine package, which he threw from his car while being chased by police on the M8.

Crime gang members Alan Stewart, 43, Leslie Montgomery, 63, and Matthew Cullimore, 37, were jailed for a total of 14 years in September after a major drugs probe – also cracked with the downfall of
Encrochat.

Earlier this month, the Daily Record revealed that a gangland war has erupted behind bars – with two key Daniel crime clan members injured in prison attacks within a matter of days.

Gangland assassin James McDonald, who is serving a life sentence for murdering Michael Lyons in an attack at one of the family’s businesses, was set upon in HMP Edinburgh.

The attack on the 51-year-old came following a fallout with the brother-in-law of another slain hood.

And just days later Robert Daniel, son of late crime boss Jamie Daniel, was also attacked in prison.

Justice Secretary Angela Constance said:“The Scottish Government is taking action to deal with the pressures of a high and complex prison population, and we have increased the Scottish Prison Service resource budget by 10 per cent to £436.5million in 2024-25 to enable it to continue to provide a safe and secure estate.

“We are aware of the impact of organised crime on the prison estate and we continue to work with SPS and other partners on the Serious Organised Crime Taskforce to reduce the harm caused.”

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