Prisons too broke to jam smuggled phones

MATHIAS HAUFIKU



WINDHOEK

Prison bosses say their plans to have cell phone jammers installed at correctional facilities hit a brick wall over the years due to a lack of funds.

Despite repeated calls to introduce stiffer measures in order to stop inmates from operating cell phone devices, Namibia Correctional Services (NCS) is facing an uphill battle to keep up with the ever-changing smuggling tactics of prisoners.

NCS head, Commissioner General Raphael Hamunyela, yesterday said the biggest culprits when it comes to smuggling cell phones into jails are correctional officers who collude with inmates.

“We have many cases of officers being part of the smuggling and we are dealing with it. Many of the culprits have already been dismissed. We are trying by all means to ensure that cell phone devices do not make their way into our facilities,” he said.

According to Hamunyela, cell phone jammers will be more effective than intercepting calls.

“We wanted jammers but our budget does not allow us. We already have telephone facilities so there is no need for cell phones.

“Also, we cannot celebrate confiscating cell phones because they should not be there in the first place. We must work on detecting the devices before they make their way inside,” he lamented.

A jammer is a device used to prevent a cell phone from receiving a signal from a base station.

Abuse of power feared

Hamunyela’s comments come in the wake of calls by the Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) to accord prison staff powers to intercept telephone conversations between inmates and outsiders. This despite fears that prison officials might abuse their powers and breach solicitor-client privileges.

“Inmates will only be allowed to call the people named on their specific list of friends and family. The individuals on the list will be checked by security each time the inmate lists them as potential contact and background checks and relationship confirmation will be conducted to ensure the communication is occurring for a safe and healthy reason,” the party said in a letter penned to Hamunyela yesterday.

According to the party’s lawmaker Timotheus Shihumbu, “these features will also enable the correctional facility staff to listen to and record most types of calls both inside and outside of prison and there will be exceptions to this rule. Certain calls are protected if they contain legal or medical information”.

He said he will table a motion to “introduce a regulation that will see the successful installation of proper security features in all minimum and maximum prison cells as soon as possible, which will improve communication of offenders with their loved ones on the outside world”.

Inside job

Shihumba also took issue with the fact that Fishrot accused James Hatuikulipi was allegedly found to be in possession of mobile devices on more than one occasion.

“As a result of the manner in which you have discharged your duties, one can only deduce to the fact that someone within your institutional echelon is collaborating with these accused persons to aid their effort in interfering with the administration of justice.

“I am therefore calling upon your name to act swiftly before you put the good name of correctional facilities and courts into question,” he wrote.