Jammers coming to cut off illegal phones in prisons

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar said on Monday her government would soon introduce phone jamming devices to cut off illegal phones that are being used by convicted criminals serving time in prison.

She made the announcement at a political meeting in Gasparillo. Speaking as both PM and leader of the United National Congress (UNC) she said the use of illegal cell phones in the country's prisons is one of the country's biggest public safety risks today.

And she said it is nothing new. She referred to a statement made in the Senate in December 2008 by then National Security Minister Martin Joseph in the Manning PNM administration. 

She said Joseph told the Senate in 2008 that there was an unprecedented number of illegal cellphones being smuggled into Trinidad and Tobago prisons. "He even quoted a figure – 1184 cell phones over a six-year period," she said. 

"These criminals are continuing to run their organisations from inside the jail by obstructing police investigations, and calling shots on witnesses," she added. 

She said, "This technology can find phones and block calls as well as text messages from unapproved numbers within our prisons. We will cut them off."

The Prime Minister also assured her audience and the country that law abiding citizens have nothing to fear from this new measure. "If you obey the law you have nothing to fear, but if you want to break it, we coming after you," she said.

Persad-Bissessar said this is only one of several other initiatives her government is taking to deal with the crime problem.

"And brothers and sisters, I want to assure you we will win the war on crime," she declared. "My pledge to YOU is that we will make it safe for you to walk the streets again without fear of being robbed, raped or killed; we will make it safe for you to enjoy your life … to go wherever you want knowing that you are safe."

She added, "Your government started as soon as we got into office and we won't be satisfied until we have won this battle."

Persad-Bissessar reminded her audience of the "horrendous" crime statistics before her government took office to illustrate why this fight is so high on her list of priorities.

"Kidnappings for ransom almost every day, an all-time high of 550 murders in one year; criminals roaming the streets doing as they pleased. You were afraid to go out at night. YOU made your homes a prison … 

"Once it got dark your retreated to your homes and remained in constant fear until dawn and the rising sun brought a new day.

"Well, as chair of the NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL I led your government’s strategy on security and we have brought down serious crime … we have not won the war yet, but things are getting better," she said.

She quoted statistics to show the evidence. "There has been a 36 per cent reduction in serious crimes in the first four months of 2013, compared to last year," she said.

"In the first four months 2012 there were over 6000 cases of serious crimes in Trinidad and Tobago. This figure has so far fallen to under 4000 in 2013. It is important to note that burglaries and break-ins, robberies and general larceny constitute 68 percent of these serious crimes."

She pledged to "make it safe for you to walk the streets again without fear of being robbed, raped or killed; we will make it safe for you to enjoy your life … to go wherever you want knowing that you are safe".