Quebec to crack down on prison smuggling with scanners, cellular jamming, drone defences | Globalnews.ca
A series of new measures will be implemented over the next few months in Quebec’s detention centres to combat contraband smuggling, the provincial government said Monday.
Quebec Public Security Minister François Bonnardel said prisons across the province will be getting more effective equipment to detect illicit substances, like “state-of-the-art” body scanners and fences around jail windows.
“I’ve seen how the body scanner work, and for inmates, it’s going to be quite a bit more complicated for them to try to get through with items in their body cavities,” Bonnardel said to reporters during the press briefing at the Rivière-des-Prairies detention centre.
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All inmates will be scanned before returning to their sleeping quarters, using the new scanners that will be available to correctional officers by March 2027.
He added that the additional fences will be installed above and around windows in the coming months to prevent drones from delivering packages.
The ministry says between January and March, 247 drones were seen flying near detention centres, of which 195 were carrying packages.
Officials say 70 per cent of drone deliveries are currently intercepted and seized.
The fences around windows have proven to be effective after being tested in some detention centres, according to Bonnardel.
The next phase of the government’s plan is expected to include measures to combat cellphone smuggling, including jamming cellular signals — a process that intentionally disrupts or blocks radio communication signals.
Quebec received authorization from the federal government in February to conduct the measure due to its jurisdiction under the federal government.
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