Britain’s prisons go to the dogs

LONDON — An army of 300 highly trained dogs have been recruited to detect drugs being smuggled into Britain’s prisons, Member of Parliament Sam Gyimah said on Sunday.

About 225 kilograms of drugs and more than 20,000 cell phone and SIM cards were recovered from British prisons last year.

The Ministry of Justice said investment costing around $2.6 million has seen every prison in the country fitted with handheld cell phone detectors and portable detection poles.

Gyimah said the dogs have been trained in drug detection and will help stem the flow of illicit substances, allowing prison guards to focus their efforts on reforming and turning around the lives of offenders.

The MOJ said the measuresare part of a much wider strategy to tackle the most pressing threats to security in prisons and will be backed by a strengthening of the front line, with 2,500 additional prison officers by 2018.

Gyimah said: “The current levels of violence, drugs and cellphone sin our prisons is unacceptable. We have put in place a number of measures to help disrupt this illegal activity.

“These figures highlight the determination of prison staff to disrupt this behavior, while at the same time sending a clear message that we will push to prosecute anyone who involves themselves in this kind of activity.”

The government has introduced strict measures to prevent drugs in prisons, including introducing legislation which makes the possession of psychoactive substances a criminal offense.

Meanwhile, a specialist squad of prison and police officers has been formed to tackle the threat drones pose to prison security.

Figures show that to date there has been a total of 35 arrests and 11 convictions of criminals involved in using drones to smuggle contraband into prisons, resulting in those convicted serving a total of more than 40 years in jail.