Baggage Scanner Installed at Maafushi Prison for First Time

A baggage-scanning machine has been installed at Maafushi Prison, marking the first time such equipment has been introduced at the country’s largest correctional facility.

The scanner was inaugurated on Monday during a ceremony officiated by Minister of Homeland Security and Technology Ali Ihusaan.

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According to the Maldives Correctional Service, the equipment was donated by Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) and will be used to screen all items brought into the prison. This includes belongings carried by inmates upon arrival, packages sent by family members, and items taken into designated meeting areas.

The installation forms part of efforts to strengthen prison security and improve the monitoring of items entering correctional facilities.

Speaking to state media, Ihusaan said the government’s objective is to ensure that all items entering prisons are screened. He said ongoing efforts are aimed at making prisons more secure, orderly and focused on rehabilitation.

The minister noted that President Dr Mohamed Muizzu had announced in this year’s Presidential Address that scanning machines would be installed in prisons before the end of the year, adding that the commitment had now been implemented at Maafushi Prison.

Ihusaan also said it was notable that the prison had operated for decades without a baggage-scanning system, describing the absence of such equipment as a significant gap in security measures.