2 full body scanners installed at Sablayan Prison to detect smuggling of prohibited goods
Two full body scanners are now operational at the Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm (SPPF) in Occidental Mindoro to help detect the smuggling into the facility of prohibited goods, particularly illegal drugs.
Aside from the scanners, BuCor Director General Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. said the bureau will also install in August an under-vehicle surveillance camera as an added security measure.
The camera can scan the underside of vehicles to detect entry of contraband, explosives, and weapons that might not be seen through standard visual inspection.
Catapang said the BuCor is expected to acquire six more full body scanners to be distributed to various prisons and penal farms nationwide as part of their commitment to prevent the inflow of illegal items into the correctional facilities.
Two full body scanners had been installed at the New Bilibid Prison (NB) in Muntinlupa City, he also said.
Many visitors of persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) ingest contraband items and hide these under their clothing, with some resorting to concealing these in their private parts to avoid detection, Catapang said.
Thus, he said, the use of full body scanners helps the bureau detect contraband smuggling, particularly within facilities housing high-profile PDLs.
Aside from these technological upgrades, the BuCor also deployed 75 personnel under the Task Force “Sanib Pwersa,” comprising members from BuCor, the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), and the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) to provide comprehensive security, he also said.
The PNP is even expected to add an additional 75 personnel, he added.