K9 units deployed in Sablayan Prison to combat entry of contraband items

- Advertisement -

THE Bureau of Corrections has deployed 25 K-9 dogs and their handlers to combat the entry of contraband to the Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm (SPPF) in Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro.

BuCor Director General Gregorio Catapang Jr. said the K-9 units were deployed last March 4 and 9.

“The deployment is part of BuCor’s ongoing campaign to combat the entry of illegal items into its facilities. The canine units, trained to detect a wide range of substances, will assist in conducting thorough searches of persons deprived of liberty and visitors,” Catapang said.

- Advertisement -

He added that the K-9 team was also “tasked to prepare and equip the composition of the local K-9 unit with their skills in the proper handling and dealing of this unit.”

Catapang earlier said the deployment of K-9 units in prison facilities is part of the overall security measures implemented by the bureau to deter the smuggling of contraband items, including illegal drugs.

The New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City, the largest prison facility operated by BuCor in terms of inmate population, has 15 K-9 units trained to find explosives and a similar number trained to sniff out illegal drugs and even cellular phones.

Aside from the SPPF and the NBP, the BuCor also operates the Correctional Institute for Women in Mandaluyong City, San Ramon Prison and Penal Farm in Zamboanga City, Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm in Palawan, Leyte Regional Prison in Abuyog, Leyte and the Davao Prison and Penal Farm in Davao del Norte.

Together, these prison facilities hold over 50,000 inmates, although their total capacity is only around 12,000, or an average congestion rate of 310 percent.

Author

- Advertisement -

Share post: