Acting Commissioner of Prisons Hayden Forde is calling for urgent investment in adaptive and upgradeable anti-drone systems for all correctional facilities, warning that as drone technology becomes more sophisticated, prison security measures must evolve to keep in step.

Forde made the call after a successful co-ordinated, intelligence-led operation disrupted yet another drone-smuggling attempt, this time at the Maximum Security Prison in Golden Grove, Arouca. Authorities continue to grapple with criminal elements using unmanned aerial vehicles to transport contraband into prison compounds.

“Today, it’s drones: tomorrow, it could be something else. Some drones can already bypass geofencing technology,” Forde told Newsday in a phone interview on September 30.