Security in prisons to be strengthened

by Ranil WIJAYAPALA

The Rehabilitation and Prison Reforms Ministry has taken steps to strengthen the Security and Intelligence Unit of the Prison Department in the wake of a number of incidents reported from prisons involving LTTE inmates. This would strengthen the security in prisons, avoiding such incidents, Rehabilitation and Prison Reforms Minister Chandrasiri Gajadeera told the Sunday Observer .

The Minister said the Security and Intelligence Unit of the Prison Department has already been taken directly under the Ministry through the Secretary to the Ministry to maintain the secrecy of any raids they are planning in countrywide prisons.

"In future, the unit will be handled by the Ministry only through the Commissioner General, to avoid leaking information about the raids", the Minister said.

The Minister pointed out that two raids that were to be carried out in the Vavuniya prison, prior to the unfortunate hostage drama, had to be aborted as the information about the planned raids had leaked beforehand.

He said the unit will be strengthened further under a separate Commissioner. Steps will be taken to add 150 more personnel to this unit once the Department recruits 290 prison officers, while also providing separate resources for the unit.

The Minister pointed out that during the raids they conducted in different prisons where LTTE inmates are kept, they came across a large number of mobile phones including 3 G phones among prison inmates.

"We found 14 mobile phones in the Trincomalee prison, 24 in the Negombo prison, 44 in the Galle prison and 32 including four 3G phones in the Welikada, Magazine prisons", he added.

"We have information that some of the LTTE inmates have communicated with the international media using these mobile phones.