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Cutting-edge advanced X-ray body scanners, developed specifically for Britain's prison service, will be installed at jails posing the greatest risk of smuggling, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) announced Friday.
The new X-ray body scanners, costing almost 37 million U.S. dollars, will be capable of producing instant images, revealing internally concealed contraband, including drugs, mobile phones and weapons.
"The images produced by the scanner provide a level of detail inside the body that has not been seen before in the Prison Service," said the MoJ, with prisons in Birmingham, Liverpool and Winchester earmarked as the first three to receive the equipment.
According to the MoJ, the new security measures will be introduced at 16 of Britain's most challenging jails, with high volumes of remand prisoners, in a major government crackdown on crime behind bars.
Efforts will also be made to tackle drugs and violence in the country's prisons, including the installation of X-ray baggage scanners and metal-detection equipment, phone-blocking technology and digital forensics facilities.
Prisons Minister Lucy Frazer said, "New technology is a vital part of our efforts to stop those determined to wreak havoc in our jails. These scanners will help to stem the flow of contraband into jails and allow officers to focus on rehabilitation."
The installation at the 16 prisons will begin in spring, with all scanners expected to be in place by the summer. The technology is set to be introduced in other prisons across Britain later this year.
