Mission (with files from Vancouver Sun and Correctional Service Canada) – On November 3, 2022, a lockdown was put in place in the medium-security unit at Mission Institution, and an exceptional search was ordered.
The search was ordered to ensure the safety and security of the institution, its staff, and inmates.
Visits have been suspended until the search is completed. Normal operations will resume as soon as it is considered safe to do so.
The Vancouver Sun reports that there is a concern that a drone may have dropped a weapon, possibly a gun, into the area but that has not been confirmed.
John Randle, the regional president of the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers, said he was informed that the prison is under a medium-to-high ballistic lockdown, which means the situation requires inmates to stay in their cells, while officers in full protective gear search the premises.
Drones are a massive problem at B.C. prisons, dropping everything from mobile phones to illicit drugs, but this is the first time in B.C. that it’s believed a firearm has been delivered, he said, speaking from Ottawa.
From 2021:
