B.C. prison locked down due to fears a drone dropped a gun on the grounds

A B.C. prison has been locked down since Thursday due to a potential security breach.

The Correctional Service of Canada said the lockdown was put in place at Mission Institution due to “the safety and security of the institution, its staff, and inmates.”

John Randle, regional president of the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers, told Global News over the phone Friday that the lockdown is due to a belief that a drone may have dropped a firearm onto the prison grounds.

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He said drones have been used to drop objects over prison walls before but this is the first time he has heard of a firearm possibly being delivered.

Visits have been suspended until the search is completed.

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It is not known for how long the lockdown will continue or if anything has been found at this time.

The Mission Institution was one of the hardest-hit correctional facilities at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The prison was also locked down in April, 2020, due to the rapid spread of the virus, which infected up to 41 inmates and six correctional officers at the same time.

There are 155 corrections officers working at the Mission Institution. It has a capacity for 216 inmates at the medium security wing and 324 inmates at its minimum security wing.