Clause 3 - Drug offence searches: England and Wales
Drugs Bill
9:10 am
Ms Caroline Flint (Parliamentary Under-Secretary (reducing organised and international crime, anti drugs co-ordination and international and European issues), Home Office; Don Valley, Labour)
There is a difference between an intimate search and a more general one. I shall obtain the details if they are required—I am sure that there are guidelines on searches. There is screening for visitors going into prisons. In some prisons, sniffer dogs are used. I have asked what would happen if one of those dogs sniffed out some drugs and the drugs were not obviously in a person's bags or clothing. I am told that at that point the person would be detained and the police would be engaged, because it would indicate that an intimate search would be necessary. I shall be happy to provide the hon. Lady with more details about current search powers. Intimate search is rather different, and my understanding is that there has not been a desire on the part of the Prison Service for prison officers or prison custody officers to be involved in that. They think that it is right for it to be a matter for the police. I hope that, on that basis, the hon. Lady will withdraw her amendment.