B.C. USES SCANNERS TO KEEP JAILS DRUG FREE

VICTORIA (CP) -- A drug-detection device that works like an electronic dog
will soon be sniffing around British Columbia's jails, Attorney General
Ujjal Dosanjh said Wednesday.

Ion scanners, which can detect illegal drugs on people and property by one
touch, will help keep drugs from entering jails, he said.

Dosanjh said he wants to step up efforts keep illegal drugs out of B.C.'s
jails.

Bill Young, B.C. Corrections Branch spokesman, said two B.C. jails --
Vancouver Island Regional Correctional Centre in Victoria and Fraser
Regional Correctional Centre in Maple Ridge -- will start using ion
scanners within the next week.

The devices are currently used by the RCMP's drug squad and Canada Customs,
he said.

B.C. has 19 jails, of which seven are categorized as maximum security
facilities, Young said.

Dosanjh said the government will provide the Corrections Branch with a
third dog trained to detect drugs this fall.

It will also enhance security measures to prevent drugs being passed to
inmates by visitors, he said.

The enhanced drug interception strategy was developed in response to a
report prepared by former Vancouver police chief Bob Stewart.

Checked-by: Mike Gogulski