Gadget blocks mobile phone use in prisons

10 jails will get a special technology that detects the prisoners’ mobile phones next month. It’s done as a part of a project to stop prisoners around the country from building their own enterprises within jails.

The technology is built like a virtual filter that will be able to detect any mobile phone that is not officially registered or approved by the prison governor. The signal on the phone will be blocked, making it impossible to use the device.

The tests of the “virtual spider’s web” technology will be taking place in England and Wales, within 10 town and rural jails. If the tests go successful, the system will be delivered to all prisons around the country.

Last year, there were 15,000 illegal mobile phones discovered in jails, which means there were 40 incidents every day. In comparison with 7,400 in 2013 and 9,745 in 2014, this is quite a progress for the prisoners, that’s why the technology needs to be used.

This will also help avoid cases like the one when an inner prison enterprise was allowed to plan an import of sub-machine guns from Germany. The incident called a huge scandal and caused troubles to the prison security.

Alexander Mullings, 25, secretly orchestrated the operation from his cell at HMP Wandsworth in southwest London using a mobile phone. He was jailed for life with a minimum term of 10 years in February last year.

In 2006 Delphon Nicholas, 29, from Lewisham, south London, organised the execution of Andrew Wanogho while an inmate in Belmarsh prison, south London.