The need to invest in high-tech solutions to conduct body searches was also highlighted by members of the DOP Officer Welfare Branch, who stated that degrading body searches have an impact on the prison officer as well: “We must have technology for body searches. We make prisoners stand naked in front of us. You think we like to see naked men parade in front of us the entire day? They feel humiliated and get angry, we feel angrier when they get angry. It’s just wrong. There are all these hightech solutions, why can’t we have them? When we make an elderly prisoner stand naked and bend over, and when there is a long line of prisoners waiting to be searched, you want the old man to hurry up. So, we end up yelling at them. Someone old like your father. This is humiliating and very degrading – not only for the prisoner, but also for the officer. That’s why I said it’s inhumane.” 6.4. Situation post-disbanding of the Bandha Police When the Prison Police (Bandha Police) was disbanded in October 2018, the former Minister of Justice and Prison Reforms Thalatha Athukorala ordered the STF, a part of the Sri Lanka Police, to be deployed in certain prisons for the purpose of conducting body searches of prisoners and visitors to the prison. The agreement to deploy STF officers to conduct body searches was done through letters exchanged between the Ministry of Justice and Prison Reforms, the Ministry of Public Administration, Management and Law & Order, and the Police Headquarters. Through a letter dated 20 August 2018, the Minister of Justice and Prison Reforms at the time requested the then Minister of Public Administration, Management and Law & Order to provide the assistance of the STF to WCP, CRP, NMRP as well as ACP, to mainly prevent the entry of drugs and other contraband into the said prisons. In the same letter the Minister of Justice and Prison Reforms has stated that such deployment of STF will only be required until a new Prison Police is established with proper training and under a specified legal framework. Further, a letter dated 22 October 2018, which was sent to the IGP by the Ministry of Public Administration, Management and Law & Order requesting to deploy STF officers to provide protection outside the said prisons, states that the decision to deploy STF to prevent the entry of drugs and contraband into WCP, CRP, NMRP and ACP was finalized during a discussion held on 06 September 2018 chaired by the Minister of Public Administration, Management and Law and Order. To date, the Commission has observed that the STF is stationed only at ACP. The Commission has received numerous complaints from prisoners at ACP regarding the manner in which searches are being conducted by the STF, which the prisoners allege is inhumane and degrading. It was noted that the STF stationed at ACP only conduct body searches at the entrance, as they are not authorized to get involved in any matter arising inside the prison. The Commission further observed that at ACP the Prison Police, which was reportedly disbanded by the Minister in October 2018, was still seen to be functioning in tandem with the STF, as described by an inmate at ACP thus: 54