National Security Minister Gary Griffith said there are plans to crack down on illegal use of cellphones in prisons. In an interview with the T&T Guardian yesterday, he said two major initiatives are planned to curb cellphone use in prisons. Although he did not give details, Griffith said a proposal by former justice minister Christlyn Moore for use of jammers and grabbers in prisons is being considered.
The use of cellphones in prison was a major issue earlier this year and in May, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar announced at a United National Congress (UNC) meeting in Gasparillo that jammers and grabbers would be used to stop the illicit practice.
Griffith said he met with Justice Minister Emmanuel George and acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams to discuss whether prisons officers should be given firearms and bulletproof vests. He is of the view that threat assessments should be done before issuing firearms. He said, however, that the decision to give firearms to prisons officers is solely up to Williams.
He said his ministry is aware of the concerns of prisons officers and initiatives were being put in place to address these concerns. Contacted yesterday, Williams said he does not comment on his meetings with ministers. There has been increased concern about the safety of prisons officers following the recent murder of Andy Rogers and reports of violence against prisons officers. Prisons officers at Remand Yard, Golden Grove Prison, Arouca, have been working to rule.
General secretary of the Prisons Officers Association Second Division Gerard Gordon said he was tired of the talk since prisons officers have been “hearing that for a while now.” “It has been years we have been asking for a number of things,” he told the T&T Guardian. On the issue of rogue officers in the Prisons Service, Gordon said: “The Prisons Officers Association is supporting any and all attempts to cure our system of these undesirable of elements.”
His comments followed a television interview with an inmate via cellphone in which the inmate said: “There is not a prison officer in this ten-year span that has been shot that has been innocent.” The inmate, who spoke anonymously, claimed the officers were tyrants and inmates’ lives had been threatened. He said officers were shot because of what they had done to people. Gordon said officers were exposed to all kinds of diseases and he has been losing colleagues at an alarming rate.
On the use of cellphones in prison, Gordon said the association supported the call for implementation of jammers and grabbers in prison. He wondered why it is taking so long to implement the technology. Attempts to reach Justice Minister Emmanuel George for comment were unsuccessful.