Prisoners use mobiles to run crime from jail

An extensive drugs trade behind bars is being "driven" by mobiles, fuelling violence, gang culture and other criminality, an independent report on Wandsworth Prison warned.

The report by the prison's Independent Monitoring Board, also warns of high levels of bullying and assaults linked to the "continuing inflow" of drugs and says the problems are spilling outside the prison as inmates organise "crime activities".

The watchdog's most damning statement, however, is its claim that Justice Secretary Jack Straw and prison bosses have failed to combat mobile phone use in spite of repeated requests for action.

The report says it has found a "continuing lack of government concern" about the problem and attacks ministers for failing to introduce a jamming system or to ensure that regular use is made of a special metal detector chair that can find hidden phones.

David Jamieson, the monitoring board's chairman, said: "The problem of mobile phones continues to be ignored. More than 300 were found in Wandsworth last year and their use undoubtedly drives drugs activities, bullying and other crime both within and outside the prison. For the past three years we have asked ministers to implement an effective jamming system, but nothing is happening."

In an illustration of the scale of the problems, the report says the drugs market within Wandsworth is worth an estimated £1million - which it claims could be halved if mobiles were jammed - and that illegal substances are entering the jail via visitors, corrupt prison staff, inside prisoners or over the walls.

It says prison authorities are making "valiant attempts" to tackle the drug flow but adds "more still needs to be done to curb this pernicious trade".

The report says: "Drugs appear to be more widely available than at any time previously. Drugs of any sort are freely available. The Wandsworth security and drugs team urgently require more resources and a change in attitude centrally towards this issue.

"A clearly-targeted and proactive drug reduction strategy involving the prison, local and national police and central agencies must be implemented."

At a Westminster briefing earlier this year, Mr Straw promised to expand the use of "Body Orifice Security Scanner" chairs, which detect metal objects hidden inside a person.

Today's report says that at Wandsworth this device "has hardly been used at all" and the number of phones inside the jail has shown an "alarming increase" since the start of the year.

Possession of a mobile inside a prison is a criminal offence, but the use of phones continues to be a serious problem in many jails.

Londoner Delphon Nicholas, 29, was found guilty of murder last month after using a mobile inside his Belmarsh cell to order a hitman to kill Andrew Wanogho in 2006.