CONTRABAND continues to pose a major challenge for the Fiji Corrections Service, with Acting Commissioner Auta Moceisuva acknowledging that prohibited items are still finding their way into correctional facilities despite daily security measures.
Speaking to The Fiji Times online portal The Lens@177, Mr Moceisuva said Fiji was facing the same problem as correctional systems around the world.
“I think contraband is a universal problem,” he said.
“All the prisons around the world face this. Fiji is not immune, and there is only one source of contraband coming, from outside to inside.”
He said contraband entered prisons through several avenues, including inmates returning from the community, visitors, correctional officers and the physical vulnerability of some prison facilities.
“These sources can come from the prisoners themselves when they come out to the community.
“Some hide these contraband in their body cavity and on certain instances we have found officers to be trafficking or bringing the contraband.”
Mr Moceisuva said prisons such as Korovou and Lautoka were susceptible to people throwing parcels over perimeter fences.
“When you drive past Korovou, the chain link around the prison, it’s easy to throw a parcel inside, and it has happened.”
He said officers conduct daily snap searches, use CCTV surveillance and handheld detection devices to curb the problem.
“And we have CCTVs there. We have some handheld sets to detect contraband. A snap search is a daily occurrence.
“This is to counter any contraband coming in, but like I said, sometimes we find contraband still. Even in the Maximum-Security Prison, we see contraband going in.
“I think, as long as there is a prison, there will be contraband.
“But our main objective is to minimize, if not eradicate, the intrusion of contraband into the facilities.”
