Corrections Canada is reaching out to the public on social media and asking people to report any “suspicious” drones they spot around Collins Bay institution.
On Tuesday, Correctional Service of Canada tweeted a public plea for help in detecting suspicious unmanned aerial vehicles or UAVs near the prison.
In particular, the corrections service wants people to be on the lookout for drones flying late at night, hovering over a particular area for a period of time, or carrying packages.
The tweet prompted responses from a number of people, asking corrections why there isn’t already a detection system for this.
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Meanwhile, Collins Bay institution had called Kingston police on Monday, the night before the tweet was published, to investigate some suspicious activity.
However, when speaking to Kingston police, Global News was told their presence on Monday and the tweet are un-related and merely a coincidence.
Police also say that the suspicious activity that took place Monday night is not a concern to public safety.
“The tweets were pre-planned communications to reach out to the public in the Kingston area, asking for their help to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity they may see near Collins Bay institution or any of our other correctional institutions in the region,” said Justine Lewis, a media relations adviser with Correctional Service of Canada, in an email to Global News.
Last month, staff at Collins Bay seized about $10,000 worth of contraband and unauthorized items from Collins Bay institution. At that time, there were reports of three drones dropping off the unauthorized items at the institution.
Correctional Service of Canada says if anyone sees any suspicious activity around Collins Bay or any other correctional institution in the region, they should report it to them.