Glenroy Sinclair, Staff Reporter
THE SUNDAY GLEANER understands that the Government has installed multi-million-dollar security jammers in at least one of the major prisons to block telephone communication between prisoners and their cronies outside the penal institution.
However, the jammers have not only blocked phone calls in the prisons but also all the Digicel calls made within the vicinity of the institution. And the residents in the area are furious.
It is understood that the jammers have been installed at the Tower Street Adult Correctional Centre, in Central Kingston.
But Minister of National Security, Dr. Peter Phillips, did not shed any light on the situation when The Sunday Gleaner questioned him yesterday.
He wanted to know how the residents knew that jammers were in the prison and, if the jammers were in fact installed, how do they know that the jammers were responsible for the problems with their phones. He offered no further comment.
It is believed the cellular phone jammers were installed some time last week.
Senator Kern Spencer had told The Sunday Gleaner in an earlier interview that the Government had purchased cellular phone jammers to block inmates from making illegal direct calls from inside the prisons.
In his statement then, Senator Spencer said it was the Government's intention to spend $8.9 million to purchase the jammers in this year. However, he could not be reached yesterday for a comment.
Digicel customers living in close proximity to the Tower Street facility say they have been blocked from receiving or sending out any calls, following the installation of cellular phone jammers at that penal facility.
Residents who spoke with The Sunday Gleaner yesterday complained bitterly that they have been unable to use their cell phones since Thursday.
When a Sunday Gleaner news team visited the community yesterday and walked down Thompson Avenue, all our Digicel phones went out of service. When the news team left the area the phones were functioning again.
Another man seen sitting at the intersection of Thompson Avenue and Tower Street, pointed to the roof of the administrative section of the Tower Street facility, where he claimed the equipment was installed.
"A dat a de problem man," said the man.
The Sunday Gleaner news team also spoke with a group of inmates who were seen peeping through grill bars, while locked down in their cells. They said they have not been able to send or receive calls from their Digicel cellular phones.
Several attempts were made to contact Seamus Lynch, managing director of Digicel, to comment on the matter, but he was unavailable.
