Since 2015 there have been more than 250 reported incidents of contraband being lobbed over prison gates.<\/p>\n
In the 2020\/21 financial year there were more than 6700 incidents where contraband was found in New Zealand prisons. Photo: RNZ \/ Nate McKinnon<\/p>\n
Known as a 'throwover', it is just one of the ways people try to smuggle contraband into New Zealand prisons.<\/p>\n
Corrections chief custodial officer Neil Beales said the packages could contain a variety of items.<\/p>\n
\"Those are likely, more than likely to have been drug related, sometimes it will be a cellphone also a popular item,\" Beales said.<\/p>\n
\"Sometimes it will be tobacco. Now tobacco is freely available outside of prison but inside prison it's a contraband item.\"<\/p>\n
Beales said staff were rising to the challenge of catching prohibited goods.<\/p>\n
In the 2020\/21 financial year there were more than 6700 incidents where contraband was found in New Zealand prisons, he said.<\/p>\n
That was down from 2019\/20 year where about 7300 incidents.<\/p>\n
It was a drop Beales attributed to lockdown, when visitors were unable to enter prison.<\/p>\n
He issued a warning to anyone wanting to smuggle items behind the wires.<\/p>\n
\"You will be caught and where we're able to do so, we will prosecute you as well. Do not try and get drugs in to our prisons.\"<\/p>\n
Beales said when he was an officer in the United Kingdom people would often throw dead birds stuffed with items over prison walls.<\/p>\n
He had also seen tennis balls and people trying to fly things in with kites.<\/p>\n
\"Nowadays we have the introduction of drones. That's raised the risks of contraband coming over our fences incredibly.\"<\/p>\n
Beales said a lot of what Corrections saw was incredibly sad, with some concealing drugs in the nappies of babies.<\/p>\n
People were often pressured to bring drugs into prison, placing huge stress on them and their families.<\/p>\n
\"Contraband to me ... it's one of the things we need to keep fighting against.\"<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Read more from the original source: <\/p>\n
Drop in amount of contraband found in New Zealand prisons - RNZ<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Since 2015 there have been more than 250 reported incidents of contraband being lobbed over prison gates. In the 2020\/21 financial year there were more than 6700 incidents where contraband was found in New Zealand prisons Continue reading