On January 12-15, the staff of Pre-Trial Detention Center №1 in Bishkek are receiving training on new x-ray screening equipment at detention center checkpoints. This training will strengthen the ability of prison staff to prevent the spread of drugs and other prohibited items inside prisons. The United States provided this equipment through a United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) project to strengthen prison security. The total cost of reconstruction of the Pre-Trial Detention Center checkpoint and the equipment was 100.000 USD (7.8 million soms).
Prisons are an important nexus in drug interdiction. Of the total prison population, about 5 percent are registered drug users[1]. Given the important role of the penitentiary system in the fight against drug trafficking, strengthening cooperation between the State Penitentiary Service and the State Service on Drug Control is crucial to combatting the proliferation of drugs. UNODC has provided assistance to penitentiary institutions under the Criminal Justice Program since 2009.
[1] Anti-drug program of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic, approved by the Decree No.54 of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic as of January 27, 2014.
