How biometric fingerprint scanners can help secure prisons from drugs

Last year in the UK there were almost 4,500 instances where prisoners were caught with illegal substances.

This figure is only expected to have risen with levels of drug abuse and use of synthetic drugs such as “spice” becoming widespread.

In fact, The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman found that in 39 deaths between June 2013 and June 2015, the prisoner in question was known to have been using drugs or was highly suspected of doing so before their death.

The level of drug abuse in UK prisons presents a complicated problem for the Prison Service and highlights a need for new strategies to keep drugs from entering prisons. Recent reports have found that while drones are being used to smuggle in drugs, prison visitors remain the most common source of drugs in prisons.

Many prisons in Britain are now turning to Biometric identification systems as a method of identifying both inmates and visitors as they enter our prisons with systems already installed at Woodhill, Bellmarsh, Manchester, Long Lartin & Whitemore.

Biometric fingerprint readers are one of the most secure access control systems available on the market. This is because the person requesting access has to use their fingerprint to gain authorisation – and a person’s fingerprint is entirely unique. This therefore removes the chances of an inmate visitor impersonating someone else to gain access and further propagate the problem of drugs in our prison system.

If you are interested in learning more about Gateway’s range of high quality, low cost access control equipment then call us on 01522 682 255, or contact us here.