‘Synthetic drugs threaten to put jails out of control’

SCOTTISH prisons are careering out of control due to a flood of synthetic drugs, it’s claimed.

Simmering tensions in the nation’s jails could boil over at any moment into a major incident, guards’ leaders warn.

Scottish Prison Service (SPS) documents published this week show that chiefs are concerned about the “increase in the level of violent incidents” behind bars.

And the Sunday Post can reveal that, within the last few days, a riot was only narrowly averted at HMP Glenochil, near Alloa, Clackma nnanshire.

Warders were attack-ed and around 20 inmates staged a protest before staff rushed the rebels and manhandled them back into their cells.

The main culprit in the rising tide of violence is Spice, a synthetic type of cannabis, and users often wander around in a barely-conscious stupor.

But it can also deliver powerful hallucinations and trigger violent urges and paranoia – and Scotland’s jails are awash with it.

Last night, Phil Fairlie, chairman of the Prison Officers’ Association in Scotland, said: “It’s an enormous problem because it creates completely unpredictable violent scenarios and there’s no telling where this will end.

“Our recognised training to restrain prisoners is not designed to cope with Spice because these people are so out of themselves it could be dangerous.

“We’ve not got proper control of the situation and Spice is now in all prisons in Scotland.

“The SPS is working with health professionals to better understand the medical issues involved.

“But our members have to deal with this face-to-face in live events. It’s a traumatic and difficult time for them and will continue to be until we get a better handle on what’s going on.

“There’s always an underlying threat in jails but where there’s a good supply of Spice, it does raise tensions and fear among staff and other prisoners too.

“Spice is a significant factor in the increase in violent incidents in the last year. We’re constantly working at our intelligence methods and have a good track record of interrupting the supply routes into jail.

“But, with Spice, it’s very powerful so you only need a tiny amount for it to take effect. There are even examples of staff ingesting it simply because it’s in the air.”

Spice is the most common of the new psychoactive substances, which were formerly known as legal highs before they were banned last year.

It’s become popular in jails because it can be soaked into paper and then smoked, which makes it easy to smuggle – and it is also odourless and so hard to detect.

It’s believed that a surge in supply was one of the factors that led up to last week’s incident at Glenochil.

A source revealed: “Spice is getting in over the wall or on visits – they don’t know exactly how yet.

“But the tensions have been building since it got in to Glenochil in a big way. You can feel the nastiness just simmering below the surface all the time.”