New Prison Security Technology Foils 20,000 Drug-Smuggling Attempts

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In line with the Government’s plans to diminish crime in jails in England and Wales, innovative, new airport-style security technologies are enforcing their “zero tolerance approach to drugs, knives and mobile phones in prisons”, according to Justice Secretary Dominic Raab. 

The Ministry of Justice states that these technologies, including over 70 X-ray body scanners installed over the past two years, have foiled close to 20,000 attempts to smuggle drugs and weapons behind bars, among them a haul of 81 rocks of crack cocaine.

42 of the most challenging prisons have been equipped with machines that can detect microscopic traces of new psychoactive substances on mail and clothes since the beginning of this year.

To prevent dangerous items from passing through prison gates in the first place, new metal detection archways, hand-held scanners, biometric identification for visitors, and drug-trace machines have also been installed.