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PERTH - Dogs could be used in West Australian prisons to sniff out illicit mobile phones that could be used to threaten witnesses or conduct criminal activity behind bars.
WA Corrective Services Minister Margaret Quirk has asked her department's canine section to look at the feasibility of training dogs to sniff out mobile phones, after a successful trial in a British prison.
"Mobile phones pose a significant security threat in prisons and are used by prisoners to continue their illegal activities on the outside," Ms Quirk said.
"In 2001, a maximum-security prisoner at Hakea Prison had used a smuggled mobile phone to arrange a kidnapping."
She said the kidnapping case had led to a big boost to prison security and seven mobile phones had been uncovered in prisons this year, the same number as in 2005.
Mobile phones could also be used to plot escapes and threaten court witnesses, Ms Quirk said.
Reports from the UK indicated mobiles gave off a distinctive smell and dogs could be trained to locate them, she said.
- AAP
