How Drones Are Changing Prison Security

Drone use in prisons is rising fast, by criminal groups smuggling contraband and by security teams working to stop them. With longer flight times, heavier payloads, and advanced sensors now standard, drones pose both risks and opportunities. Here’s how prisons can harness the benefits of drone technology while staying protected against misuse.

1. Strengthen perimeter protection

With the UK prison and probation service budget falling by 12% in 2023–24, guard teams are asked to cover more ground with fewer resources. Drones can help bridge the gap.

Aerial sweeps can detect suspicious activity, damage to fencing, or vulnerable access points around the perimeter, freeing up resources. Drones can also be deployed as a rapid verification tool when an alarm is triggered by motion sensors or fence vibration systems, reducing time wasted on false activations.

2. Monitor prison yards and exercise areas

When large numbers of prisoners gather, such as in the exercise yard, ground-level visibility quickly becomes limited. A drone’s overhead view gives officers a perspective that can’t be achieved from the ground.

Security teams can spot issues before they escalate by pairing that view with AI-driven risk detection tools, such as people-counting and behavioural analytics. Suppose a crowd suddenly clusters in one corner of the yard. In that case, AI-driven detection can trigger an alert and an automated workflow to send footage and instructions to the nearest available officers so they can intervene before a fight breaks out.

3. Detect and counter illicit drone activity

Criminal groups are using drones to smuggle contraband. Over 12,000 alerts were recorded across Scottish prisons in 2023 alone.

Long-range cameras, combined with AI detection tools that recognise drone presence (and in some cases, flight patterns), allow rapid detection with minimal false alarms. Once a hostile drone is identified, automated workflows can launch a tiered response, dispatching nearby officers, activating alarms, or triggering lockdowns.

4. Make high-risk scenarios safer

Drones can play a vital role in safeguarding both staff and inmates. During prisoner transfers, for instance, they can act as overwatch, providing real-time situational awareness from multiple vantage points to spot threats before they materialise.

They are equally valuable during volatile incidents such as riots or disturbances. Real-time AI-based analysis of drone footage can assess crowd movements, identify escape attempts, or track fleeing individuals, giving control teams a clear view of the situation while keeping officers out of direct harm’s way.

For routine operations, drones can also fulfil essential but potentially risky tasks such as inspecting towers, lighting, and perimeter sensors. This reduces the need for officers or maintenance staff to climb or enter hazardous areas, not only saving time but also cutting the risk of workplace accidents.

5. Improve training and preparedness

Drones are not just operational tools – they’re powerful training aids. During drills, they can simulate smuggling attempts, intruder approaches, or perimeter breaches, giving officers practical, high-pressure scenarios that mirror real incidents.

By recording these exercises – which any good security and surveillance platform should do automatically – drones provide valuable footage for after-action review. Teams can analyse how incidents were handled, refine protocols, and improve coordination across departments.

When linked with mobile-enabled workflows, training becomes even more effective. Officers experience how alerts, video, and instructions are distributed in real time, exactly as they would during a live incident. This builds confidence and ensures teams are fully prepared to act when it matters most.