FEDERAL PRISONS IN B.C. TO GET ANTI-DRUG TIP LINE

VANCOUVER -- Federal prisons in B.C. have a new weapon against drugs
- -- a tip line to report inmates involved in illegal activity.

"We want to do everything we can to try to prevent the introduction
of illegal substances into institutions," said Correctional Service
of Canada spokesman Dennis Finlay. "We know they are getting in. We
find them frequently, we find inmates on a regular basis who are
under the influence."

British Columbia prisons are the first to introduce a toll-free tip line.

Inmates on drugs can become violent, and the prison drug trade spawns
violence and extortion over debts, Finlay said. Injection drug use
spreads hepatitis C and HIV. Existing anti-drug measures include the
use of drug dogs, body searches and ion scanners.

Callers to the tip line can also report inmates who try to pressure
visitors into bringing in drugs, or committing other illegal acts, Finlay said.

Institutions participating in the tip program include Kent, Mountain,
Mission, Matsqui, Kwikwexwelhp Healing Village, Ferndale, William
Head, Pacific Institution/Regional Treatment Centre and the Fraser
Valley Institution for women.