An abundance of unusual items have been confiscated from prisoners in Liverpool since 2020.
They have been found in surprising places, including letters, boxer shorts, shoes and photographs. A Freedom of Information request to the Ministry of Justice revealed everything confiscated from HMP Liverpool since 2020.
Over the last two years officers confiscated hundreds of chargers, lighters and over 500 phones from the Walton-based prison. Other fairly typical confiscations included letters, USBs and memory cards.
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But there were also some stranger items included in the data. Between 2020 and 2022, an incredible 80lt of hooch – a high-proof, illegally brewed liquor – was taken. The illicit items also included one pair of knickers confiscated over the two years, as well as two bottles containing urine and faeces.
Five drones were discovered and one booklet containing a handwritten story was taken. On June 17, 2020, a single Kinder Egg was confiscated from a prisoner.
The exclusive figures also revealed a disturbing number of drug-related offences in the men’s prison. A total of around 8kg of cannabis has been confiscated since 2020 - the equivalent of a standard TV.
The largest amount of cannabis confiscated in one go was 340g. There were two instances of ecstasy, one of MDMA, one of acid, and 13 of cocaine. Unspecified white powder was found seven times.
‘Spice’, a lab-made synthetic cannabinoid designed to mimic the effects of cannabis, was found around 10 times. The drug is a growing problem in prisons across the UK and is much more unpredictable than cannabis.
Five cases of heroin were discovered, including 100g on August 30, 2021, while 61 weapons, including scissors, a hacksaw blade and ones handmade by inmates were found.
A Prison Service spokesperson said: “We have a zero-tolerance approach to drugs in prisons and thanks to our new airport-style security almost 20,000 attempts to smuggle illegal contraband behind bars have been intercepted.
“Our approach is working – at HMP Liverpool drone activity is in decline thanks to additional security measures, allowing us to focus on turning offenders lives around to cut crime and protect the public.”
They said staff at HMP Liverpool are working with police to minimise drone activity. To help detect illicit items at the prison measures such as a body scanner at reception, an Enhanced Gate Search (EGS) and four trained search dogs are in place.
