The ACT government said it might consider using technology that would block cell phone signals. The technology is located in the Alexander McConough Center in Canberra, where cell phones account for an increasing percentage of contraband seized.
This week, a new cell phone jammer was installed in the Supermax 2 high security force in Goulburn, which houses extremists and terrorists. If the initial test passes, the New South Wales prison will go to a two-year trial.
The latest generation of systems includes many antennas that block frequencies that would normally send signals from mobile phones, making the device no longer needed.
A spokesperson for the Department of Justice and Community Safety said that the results of the Goulburn trial may lead to the use of the technology in ACT.
He said: “It is very complicated to implement cell phone jammer in the Alexander Marknoch Center.”
“It should be noted that this is not the first trial of the technology in Australia. So far, the solution has proven to be expensive and the results are not the same.”
Mobile phones can usually be found at the Alexander Maconochie Center in Hume. In 2017, the Canberra Times revealed that the prisoner was caught by a phone the size of a person’s thumb. The size of these devices means they can be smuggled into body cavities, and because they contain very little metal, it is more difficult for metal detectors to retrieve them.
Telephone seizures as a percentage of contraband seizures
The numbers are expressed in percentages and are related to the Alexander McNaughty Center. In the remaining four months of 2019, mobile phone seizures as a percentage of total contraband seizures
This week, the “Canberra Times” released new data showing that since the beginning of 2015, 189 mobile phones have been seized at the Alexander Marco Noch Centre. Of these, 31 have been taken from detainees so far this year.
To date, in 2019, mobile phones accounted for more than 6% of contraband seized in ACT prisons. This is the highest level in the past five years, higher than the 5.5% in 2018.
Phone seizure
This is the number of mobile phones seized at the Alexander McConaughey Center. With four months left in 2019, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice and Community Safety said that ACT’s human rights law will not prevent the introduction of cell phone interference technology into prisons. Canberra because mobile phones are prohibited items.
He said: “Detainees can currently get phone calls and electronic communications through the (Alexander Makenotch Center) to support their relationship with friends and family.”
ACT Correctional Inspector Neil McAllister stated that it was reasonable for the territorial government to adopt a “wait-and-see attitude” when Goulburn tested the jammer.
He said one factor to consider whether to introduce technology into Canberra will be whether it will affect people near the prison, including those on the Monaro Highway who may need help. ”Call emergency services.