Organised crime gangs are running a campaign of terror against Scottish prison officers from inside the nation’s crisis-hit jails.

In an exclusive interview with the Herald on Sunday, Phil Fairlie, Scottish secretary of the Prison Officers Association, told of alleged murder plots against staff. He also revealed that prison officers’ cars had been fire-bombed at Scottish jails.

Due to unprecedented success by Police Scotland tackling organised crime, prisons are now holding more high-level gangland figures than ever before. 

“It’s huge credit to Police Scotland for the arrest and prosecution of people much higher up the ladder than we’d normally get,” Fairlie said. “We normally get foot-soldiers. However, that means we’ve now got to mange them.”

He added: “There’s around 700 people in our prisons with direct links to organised crime.” Estimates put the population of Scottish prisoners linked to organised crime at nine percent.

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Prison officers always face violence, but the influx of organised crime bosses means “the type of threat, intimidation and violence staff have been subjected to is at a different level”.

More than ten prison officers’ cars have been firebombed “in prison car-parks by organised crime gangs, either as a warning, intimidation, or payback for intervening in their operations … It’s a price, it’s the crime gang’s way of saying ‘your card is marked’. They come at night on motorbikes, torch cars and are gone in minutes.”

There have been alleged murder plots launched against prison officers. In some cases, police had to spirit prison officers from their homes to safety. “One was told to just pack his bags, get in the car and come with police.”

Fairlie also told how organised crime gangs are now using drones to fly drugs into jails, as well as other contraband, like mobile phones, which crime bosses use to run their empires both inside and outside prison.

So far, there’s “nothing to suggest” gangsters have successfully smuggled in guns, however Fairlie says: “Given the individuals we’ve got inside now, coupled with what I know of their plans, guns being brought in wouldn’t come as a huge shock.”

Threats of violence against officers and their families mean staff risk being compromised or coerced into committing crime. Gangsters have tried to subvert the recruitment process.

“They try to get their own people inside prison working as officers.” That’s creating suspicion among staff. “It’s a completely different set of risks that we’re dealing with now than we’ve dealt with before.”

Fairlie added: “There’s battles for control of the prisons between rival gangs which is where much of the added violence comes in, as well as settling old scores from events outside while they’re in prison.”

Fairlie explained that countering organised crime gangs was putting prisons under extreme pressure due to overcrowding. Prison officers are already struggling to cope with the number of people in jail.

The Scottish government last week began an early release programme, involving 500 prisoners, in order to free up space and ease pressure on staff. 

Fairlie said that threats, overwork and stress are harming officers. “Around 35-40% of staff absence is related to mental health, the vast majority directly related to their place of work,” he explained.

On the issue of organised crime, a Scottish Prison Service (SPS) spokesperson said: “We work closely with Police Scotland to tackle serious and organised crime which has a devastating impact on communities and disproportionately affects the poorest and most vulnerable members of society. 

“Police Scotland’s success in disrupting these groups, and their activities, is welcome. However, this has contributed to both the increased numbers and complexity that we now face, with many people in our care requiring to be kept separate for a range of reasons, putting added pressure on establishments, many of which are already full beyond their design capacity.”

On staff safety, the SPS said: “The safety and wellbeing of all those who live and work in our establishments is a key priority. We take a zero-tolerance approach to violence and incidents of alleged criminality are reported to Police Scotland.”

On tackling corruption, the SPS said: “While the vast majority of our staff adhere to the highest standards of conduct, we are always vigilant to any potential corruption within our establishments. As this matter is currently subject to an ongoing investigation, it would be inappropriate to comment further.”

On drones, the SPS said: “Any attempt to bring illicit substances into our establishment, including by a drone, poses a significant threat to the health and wellbeing of those in our care, and we will use all technological and intelligence tools available to prevent this wherever possible.

“We continue to work with Police Scotland, and other partners, to take action against those who attempt to breach our security.”