Prison staff is utilizing to search and seize phones used illegally by inmates in Wales and England. This new detection kits can narrow down phone’s location down to a single jail cell as per the Ministry of Justice supposed.
When the phone is detected via this new detection kits, staff gets an alert and which assist them in tracking inmates organizing drug smuggling or else contracting criminals on the outside. Earlier there for a six months trial at one jail and now it will be used at four more prisons. The locations of these jails are not being revealed.
These alerts are shown on a digital heat map and which assist in identifying the strength of the signal. The result of these alerts will be that it can be utilized as evidence in the police investigation and can lead to arrests.
As per David Gauke, Justice Secretary alleged that using this technology was very important to make prison places of safety as well as rehabilitation. Mr. David added ‘as criminals search out for new techniques to smuggle contraband into prisons. Now is the time that we stay one step ahead of them. This new technology will help to prevent them from operating from their cells.
About 15000 cell phones or we can say SIM cards were removed from English and Welsh prisons in 2017 which is equal to one for every six inmates. However, this new technology is not utilized to block illegal mobiles remotely. Also under the Serious Crime Act 2015, all prison governors in Wales as well as in England can get a court order to remove a SIM or mobile from a network completely.
The main objective of this new technology is to clamp down on illicit handsets which fuel up drug dealing as well as violence behind bars. Also because of the security reasons only a few details regarding this technology have been released. Some features are:
- This technology functions by sending real-time alerts at the time when a cell phone is detected in prison. Alerts are exposed on a digital map, which recognizes the strength of the signal and also permits officers to know the precise location of the phone.
- Prison staff can now easily track data over time to observe for up-and-coming patterns including timings of smuggling or drug plots.
- The intelligence is examined as well as in conjunction with law enforcement partners who will lead to detaining.
Actually, authorities have noted the illegal use of cell phones as one of the most vital threats facing the personal service., it has been reported that in twelve months to March last year there were in total 10,643 incidents where cell phones were found in prisons in Wales and England. Sadly it was a 15 percent increment when compared to the prior year.
Criminal gangs also deployed several strategies to use the lucrative prison contraband market. Furthermore, previous month about three dead rats stuffed with cell phones as well as drugs was found at HMP Guys in Dorset. Along with this technology, other measures include improved searching techniques, security scanners, a financial crime unit and phone-blocking technology to target criminal kingpins which are operating in prisons.
