MELBOURNE: Australian Minister for Home Affairs Brendan O'Connor says a new legislation passed by Parliament would enable internal body scanning technology to be used at airports to stop drug couriers.

Customs and Border Protection will test internal body scanning technology as a way to boost the detection of drugs that are being imported inside the bodies of drug couriers, he said.

The changes to the Customs Act 1901 on Monday will allow accredited Customs officers to offer suspects the option of an internal body scan at an international airport, as part of a year-long trial, he said.

To conduct a body scan, a reasonable suspicion must be formed that a person is carrying drugs internally and the suspect must consent to being scanned.

If the suspect refuses, he or she will undergo the current practice of a hospital examination, he said.

"In 2009-10, 48 drug couriers were identified for attempting to import more than 27kg of illicit drugs within their bodies, including heroin and cocaine," O'Connor said in a statement. "Bringing illicit drugs into Australia is illegal. We want to do all we can to stop drug importation and protect Australian families from the immeasurable harm caused by drug use.

"Internally secreted drugs pose a dire health risk to a courier. It is not unusual for packages to split and for drug couriers to face serious illness or death as a result.

"Body scanning technology will help to more promptly identify if a suspect is carrying drugs internally and allow medical help to be rendered quickly," O'Connor said.

In 2009-10, 205 people were taken to hospital for examination under suspicion of having drugs concealed internally and upon medical examination, less than a quarter were found to be carrying drugs.

The option of an internal body scan will more quickly clear legitimate travellers and ensure minimum delay at airports.

The use of internal body scanning technology at airports is also expected to save significant time and money to the Customs, the Australian Federal Police and hospitals.

At the moment, when a person is suspected of internally concealing drugs, he or she is taken to a hospital for examination by a doctor.

Last year, police officers spent almost 8,300 hours guarding suspects, including more than 4,600 hours in hospital waiting rooms, rather than policing the airports and other public areas.

The technology produces images similar to a medical x-ray showing internal body tissue, skeleton and, where present, internal drug concealments.

"As Minister for Privacy, I'm acutely aware of community concerns about the use of such technology. I'd like to assure the public that this technology will be subject to strict controls," O'Connor said. - Bernama

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