Stoke Heath Prison visitors targeted by police
An arrest was made and a vehicle seized as part of a police operation at Shropshire's only prison.
Roadside checks were carried out at Stoke Heath Prison, near Market Drayton, yesterday. Those carrying out inspections were aiming to combat prison-related drug offences.
Operation Cromwell was a joint initiative between the police and prison service.
Constable Mick Sturland, of West Mercia Police's safer neighbourhood team for Market Drayton, said: "This was a joint operation involving both police and prison staff stopping visitors on crown property, namely, the approach driveway leading to the prison.
"The aim is to robustly stop and search persons and vehicles coming into the prison to visit inmates.
"The prison service utilised passive drugs dogs and amongst the results we seized one car for no insurance and one arrest for driving under the influence of drugs."
A similar operation was carried out in April when one male was arrested for drug driving and another male was arrested as he was wanted by another police force.
The team also seized two vehicles from uninsured drivers and a set of illegal number plates.
The operation comes after it was revealed more than 100 prisoners have been caught with a mobile phone at Shropshire's prison. There were 109 incidents where a prisoner was caught at Stoke Heath with a phone, or parts of a phone, in the past year.
