Quebec unveils measures to curb drug-smuggling drones in detention centres
Fences around jail windows, body scanners among strategies to boost safety
Quebec Public Security Minister François Bonnardel announced a series of measures to boost safety in the province's detention centres after drones have been used to smuggle drugs into jails.
Between January and March, 274 drones were observed flying near jails — 195 of them carried packages, according to the ministry's statistics, and 134 packages were seized.
"We've made huge strides on several fronts to prevent drone delivery of packages, detect contraband entering our facilities and secure entrances," Bonnardel told reporters on Monday at the Rivière-des-Prairies detention centre.
To prevent drones from delivering packages to inmates, Bonnardel said fences will be installed above and around their windows in the coming months.
These structures have proven to be "very effective" after being tested in some detention centres, Bonnardel noted.
The second measure of the government's plan includes installing body scanners to detect objects that might be concealed in inmates' body cavities upon entry. All inmates will also be scanned before they return to their sleeping quarters. Those suspected by correctional officers of carrying objects will also undergo scanning.
According to the minister, it's "a first" in Quebec.
"It's a tool that is, I would say, more efficient, faster and less intrusive than strip searches," Bonnardel explained.
So far, six scanners have been installed in the province's detention centres, with 11 more expected by March 31, 2027.
"I've seen how the body detector works. I tell the inmates: 'It's going to be a lot more complicated,'" Bonnardel said of the attempt to smuggle in contraband.
Bonnardel stated that all visitors and employees entering jails will also have to pass through detection arches and have their personal effects checked by X-ray devices to help secure entrances.
Six detention centres are still without arches and should have them by March 31, 2026, he said.
The next steps of the government's plan is expected to involve technological measures to address cellphone smuggling, including jamming cellular waves, which takes more time since it falls under the jurisdiction of the federal government.
Between January and March, the ministry's statistics show a total of 896 cellphones were seized as a result of searches, investigations or interceptions by correctional officers. Cellphones can allow criminals to continue to run their outside operations while they're imprisoned.
Danièle Roy, a criminal defence lawyer in Montreal, said the conditions at Quebec's detention centres are horrible, noting she visited some inmates Monday who are trapped in their cells all but two hours per day due to lack of staff on duty.
This is why the pressure and violence is increasing, she said. She would like to see simpler solutions, like putting a net over the yard to prevent drones, and hiring more employees to improve conditions.
SAPSCQ, the union that represents prison guards in Quebec, said their president wasn't available for an interview.
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