SCOTTISH prison bosses have admitted keeping rival organised crime gang factions apart in jail is “a challenge”.

They said the success of police and prosecutors putting more gangsters behind bars means extra work for officers inside battling to stop drugs getting into prison.

The Scottish Prison Service said 8% of the prison population, almost 600 inmates, are linked to serious organised crime groups.

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The scale of the challenge is seen in the numbers - with an identified 589 prisoners, 176 are believed to be linked to 54 different active serious organised crime groups (SOCGs), many of whom SPS said operate throughout the UK and, in some cases, globally.

SPS said: “Every single prison in Scotland holds individuals with links to serious and organised crime.”

There are 23 inmates who are labelled “principals”, who are either SOCG heads or at the highest level, and 25 “members” who are considered key individuals.

Prison bosses said the rise in SOCG members is one of the most significant changes to the Scottish prison population in the past decade.

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With several key figures inside, prison staff are attempting to prevent operations from being run from behind bars and stop drugs from being imported to prisoners.

SPS says it has some success in this area stating “efforts have seen reports of incidents of drug taking fall by almost 50% – from 3725 in 2021, to 1871 in 2022”.

Fiona Cruickshanks, head of the SPS’s Public Protection Unit, said: “Initiatives such as the photocopying of mail, and Rapiscan machines to detect illicit substances, have led to a significant reduction in incidents of drug taking.   

“Prisons free of drug taking are happier and healthier, and this supports better mental health and wellbeing, which gives people the best possible opportunity to engage constructively in rehabilitation courses, education and training.”

Before mail was copied drugs were being sent to prisoners in letters ‘soaked’ in drug substances.

The Scottish Government said work in prison was crucial to efforts to tackle organised crime.

Keith Brown, justice secretary, said: “The threat from organised criminals is ever present and disrupting their activities, both across society and in custodial settings, remains a priority for the Scottish Government and members of Scotland’s Serious Organised Crime Taskforce, which includes the Scottish Prison Service.

“Analysis from SPS helps to shine a light on the extent of serious organised crime members in custody and provides an insight to the scale and complexity of work they undertake to ensure the safety and wellbeing of people in custody.”