Security at prisons increased: IG

LAHORE:

Security at jails across the Punjab has been strengthened in the wake of a series of terrorist attacks in various parts of the country, said Inspector General of Prisons Mian Farooq Nazeer on Sunday.

Following instructions from Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif for “foolproof security” at the prisons in the Punjab, special teams armed with sophisticated weapons have been deployed at jails, said the IG. Metal detectors, screening machines and closed-circuit television cameras have been installed at all jails to prevent the entry of unauthorised items such as arms and ammunition.

Under a new security plan, no visitor is being allowed to enter a jail without their original identity card, he said. The entry of all visitors is being recorded, and no visits are allowed outside scheduled visiting hours.

All deputy superintendents and assistant superintendents have been directed to pay at least two visits a day to barracks assigned to them to maintain discipline. All regional DIGs have been ordered to ensure compliance with the new security directives by conducting surprise inspections of jails in their jurisdictions.

The IG too will pay surprise visits to check security arrangements, as well as the condition of jail hospitals and the quality of food being served to inmates, he said.

He said jail superintendents had been directed to submit daily security inspection reports to their DIG and the IG. Jail superintendents will be held responsible for any security lapse, Nazeer said.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 24^th, 2012.