Contraband on rise at city prison
Increasing amounts of contraband, including drugs, weapons and cellphones, are being found at Invercargill Prison.
In the 27 months between July 2016 and September 2018 there were 570 items found at the prison in Invercargill – more than 20 each month – the Department of Corrections says.
Of the 570 items, 47 were drugs, 76 were communication devices, 20 were weapons, 5 were alcohol, 22 were tattoo equipment and nearly 400 were ‘‘other’’ un-named items that could be used in inappropriate ways.
The figures show the amount of contraband being found at the prison was on the rise this year compared to last. In the same 27-month timeframe, there were 37 known ‘‘throwovers’’, when contraband was thrown over the prison fence, including nine in May alone.
Items discovered thrown over the prison fence include tobacco and cellphones.
At the end of May, Invercargill police Inspector Mike Bowman asked the city council to upgrade its CCTV cameras in the city and put one at Liffey St beside the prison, given the increase in contraband being thrown over the fence.
The Invercargill City Council had since taken action on the request, roading manager Russell Pearson said.
The council had engaged an external consultant to analyse its CCTV and security networks and to advise the council on how the network could be improved.
‘‘This includes the Liffey Street area along with the other locations provided in the police presentation [to the council],’’ Pearson said.
Items discovered thrown over the prison fence include tobacco and cellphones.
The council had been engaging with police as part of the process.
A report, which would include costs, would be provided to councillors in the coming months before any decisions were made.
Corrections acting national commissioner Ben Clark said cameras were used around the perimeter fence of Invercargill Prison and there were regular checks for contraband in the area.
Some prisoners went to extreme lengths to introduce contraband, he said. This included concealing items in mail, products and in their own bodies, while items were also smuggled in by visitors and thrown over the fence.
Contraband detection dogs were used to discover the likes of cellphones and drugs, including synthetics.
Contraband created risks for staff and a lot of work was carried out to minimise the risks, he said.
An extensive range of screening measures had been introduced at prisons in a bid to prevent contraband from being smuggled in.
Also, Corrections intelligence staff were constantly working to identify and mitigate risk areas and stay informed of new methods of concealment, Clark said. Skills learnt at the Invercargill velodrome helped Tyla Green win a gold medal for New Zealand at the Oceania Track Cycling Championships in Adelaide this month.
It was the biggest track carnival Tyla had attended and she faced a challenge lining up against older riders in the under-19 section.
‘‘I stuck to what I knew . . . the