As part of the Government’s ongoing commitment to improving safety and security in our Corrections system, tenders have today been called for the supply and installation of body scanners in correctional facilities across Tasmania.
The new body scanners will be another tool to help ensure the safety of our correctional staff, as well as prisoners and detainees, which is why we committed $1.3 million to progress this initiative.
We want to minimise personal searches as much as possible but they can be necessary to stop potentially harmful items such as drugs and weapons from entering our correctional facilities, and they can also reduce the risk of self-harm.
Once operational, the scanners will be able to detect objects on or inside a person without the need to physically remove items of clothing or make any physical contact with the person being searched - providing an instant internal image which can reveal contraband such as drugs, mobile phones and weapons.
The scanners will have other positive impacts within correctional facilities, including increased safety for staff, reduction in the time required by Correctional Officers to conduct searches and the likely deterrent effect the scanners will have on people attempting to bring contraband into a correctional facility.
Tenders close on 30 September 2022, with a contract expected to be in place by November 2022. Tender documentation is available from https://www.tenders.tas.gov.au/.