Minister lifts lid on life behind bars

Minister lifts lid on life behind bars

AN alarming increase in the number of illegal items and substances being smuggled into Namibian prisons yesterday forced the Minister of Safety and Security, Peter Tsheehama to officially respond to the situation by urging citizens to quit aiding inmates in their illegal activities.

A total of 270 contraband items, including cellphones, knives and drugs, have been seized from prisoners between December 2005 and May this year, Tsheehama said yesterday. “The security situation in … Windhoek Central Prison, Katutura and Wanaheda Police stations has not been as good as one may have thought,” the Minister declared.Prisons have become lucrative markets for drug dealers.”Our intelligence sources confirmed that prisons and Police holding cells in Namibia are now (being) identified by drug dealers as a good markets for drugs,” he said.The main drug dealers are those convicts who come to Police holding cells and prison as a result of dealing in drugs.”Some of these convicts have well-established links with outside syndicates that allow smuggling and trafficking of these items within the prisons and Police holding cells,” he said.Another problem the Minister is trying to address is the corruption of certain prison guards and Police officers who smuggle dagga into the cells.The problem seems to be escalating, judging by the figures recorded by the Ministry.In 2005, seven mobile phones and two packets of dagga were confiscated from Windhoek Central Prison.In 2006, 14 mobile phones and three packets of dagga were confiscated there.Between January and May this year (only five months) a total of 41 mobile phones and 785 grammes of dagga (valued at N$2 334) were confiscated from prisoners.”This is indeed a matter of grave concern to us,” Tsheehama said.”We will have to intensify this search within our prison institutions to bring this trend down as much as possible,” he said.Besides cellphones and dagga, the Police searches have also uncovered knives, sharpened spoons, razor blades, scissors, screwdrivers, bottlenecks used to smoke drugs, batteries and cellphone chargers.Most of the contraband items are hidden in the rectums of incoming prisoners, Tsheehama said.Some of the items smuggled in this way include dagga, money and cellphones.Officers assisting the Minister in his presentation added that weaker prisoners are often used as mules to smuggle contraband.”Other tactics of criminal gangs include throwing over the perimeter fence items such as marijuana packets into the prison premises where offenders scoop them up and distribute to fellow users,” Tsheehama continued.A dagga ‘ballie’, which is generally sold on the streets for N$5 to N$10, can go for up to N$20 in prison, officials said.”These are a rare commodity in there,” one officer remarked.Cellphones, reporters were told, are an especially useful tool for active criminals behind bars, and are often used by trial-awaiting prisoners to threaten witnesses, complainants and their families.They can also be used to plan escapes or to help teach fellow criminals how to avoid getting caught, or are lent to other inmates at a fee.This is just the tip of the iceberg of what is happening in prisons and Police holding cells, Tsheehama said.He warned Police officers, prison guards and members of the public who smuggle in prohibited items for prisoners that they would soon find themselves on the wrong side of the prison walls if they kept it up.”I call upon the public to refrain from supporting prisoners with dangerous items.To my prison and Police officers who are involved in criminal collaboration with offenders, ensure that you will not fall into the hands of my system otherwise you will regret the deeds of your collaboration,” he said.”The security situation in … Windhoek Central Prison, Katutura and Wanaheda Police stations has not been as good as one may have thought,” the Minister declared.Prisons have become lucrative markets for drug dealers.”Our intelligence sources confirmed that prisons and Police holding cells in Namibia are now (being) identified by drug dealers as a good markets for drugs,” he said. The main drug dealers are those convicts who come to Police holding cells and prison as a result of dealing in drugs.”Some of these convicts have well-established links with outside syndicates that allow smuggling and trafficking of these items within the prisons and Police holding cells,” he said.Another problem the Minister is trying to address is the corruption of certain prison guards and Police officers who smuggle dagga into the cells.The problem seems to be escalating, judging by the figures recorded by the Ministry.In 2005, seven mobile phones and two packets of dagga were confiscated from Windhoek Central Prison.In 2006, 14 mobile phones and three packets of dagga were confiscated there.Between January and May this year (only five months) a total of 41 mobile phones and 785 grammes of dagga (valued at N$2 334) were confiscated from prisoners.”This is indeed a matter of grave concern to us,” Tsheehama said.”We will have to intensify this search within our prison institutions to bring this trend down as much as possible,” he said.Besides cellphones and dagga, the Police searches have also uncovered knives, sharpened spoons, razor blades, scissors, screwdrivers, bottlenecks used to smoke drugs, batteries and cellphone chargers.Most of the contraband items are hidden in the rectums of incoming prisoners, Tsheehama said.Some of the items smuggled in this way include dagga, money and cellphones.Officers assisting the Minister in his presentation added that weaker prisoners are often used as mules to smuggle contraband.”Other tactics of criminal gangs include throwing over the perimeter fence items such as marijuana packets into the prison premises where offenders scoop them up and distribute to fellow users,” Tsheehama continued.A dagga ‘ballie’, which is generally sold on the streets for N$5 to N$10, can go for up to N$20 in prison, officials said.”These are a rare commodity in there,” one officer remarked.Cellphones, reporters were told, are an especially useful tool for active criminals behind bars, and are often used by trial-awaiting prisoners to threaten witnesses, complainants and their families.They can also be used to plan escapes or to help teach fellow criminals how to avoid getting caught, or are lent to other inmates at a fee.This is just the tip of the iceberg of what is happening in prisons and Police holding cells, Tsheehama said.He warned Police officers, prison guards and members of the public who smuggle in prohibited items for prisoners that they would soon find themselves on the wrong side of the prison walls if they kept it up.”I call upon the public to refrain from supporting prisoners with dangerous items.To my prison and Police officers who are involved in criminal collaboration with offenders, ensure that you will not fall into the hands of my system otherwise you will regret the deeds of your collaboration,” he said.

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