Drug smuggling prison visitors warned they will be caught

14/8/02 The State Government's hardline on drugs in prisons is working with figures released today showing a 19 per cent increase in drugs and other contraband confiscated from prisoners and visitors over the past 12 months.

14/8/02
The State Government's hardline on drugs in prisons is working with figures released today showing a 19 per cent increase in drugs and other contraband confiscated from prisoners and visitors over the past 12 months.
Justice Minister Jim McGinty today issued a stark warning that people attempting to smuggle drugs into WA prisons should expect to be caught.
Mr McGinty said the use of sniffer dogs to detect drugs on visitors and prisoners had been significantly stepped up, with good results:

  • the number of visitors checked by sniffer dogs had doubled from 11,757 two years ago to 23,462 in the past 12 months; and
  • prisoners were also being regularly checked by dogs and urine tested for drug use. In the past year, 3,662 urinalysis tests were conducted, and more than 2,600 prisoners were checked past sniffer dogs.
The crackdown had led to more drugs being seized and also more visitors being turned away or offered non-contact visits when sniffer dogs indicated a suspicion of drugs.
The non-contact visits ensured even the most ingenious couriers could not pass secreted drugs to a prisoner.
In total, there were:
  • 776 seizures of drugs and drug-related paraphernalia throughout the prison system, compared with 652 the previous year; and
  • 178 'suspect' visitors refused entry or offered non-contact visits, compared with 80 the previous year.
In a further initiative announced today, Mr McGinty said the Department of Justice canine section was being radically transformed with specially trained Labrador multi-purpose drug dogs set to gradually replace the existing active and passive alert dogs.
"As these new dogs come on line, we will have the capacity to use one dog to do the job of two - conducting both passive detection of drugs on people and active searches of cells and other areas," he said.
"The canine section will also be bolstered by the addition of an extra officer, taking to nine the number of dog handlers in the busy team."
The Minister said cannabis was the main drug visitors tried to smuggle into prisons, but drugs in the form of tablets and white powder were also being trafficked. Recent seizures included one haul of 18 MS Contin tablets and another of 11 dexamphetamine tablets.
Mr McGinty said there would be no let up in the Government's hardline approach and people tempted to try to smuggle drugs into prison could expect to be searched at every visit.
"Where we believe a visitor either has drugs on their person, or has recently been in contact with drugs, they will be offered a non-contact visit or turned away from the prison," he said.
"Where a joint operation is being mounted with police, they will also have their vehicles searched."
Mr McGinty said up to 70 per cent of people received into the prison system had a history of drug use, and it was essential to get drugs out of prisons to help minimise the prospect of prisoners re-offending when they were released.
Minister's office: 9220 5000