1500 CELL PHONES IN JAILS
New laws get backing
MORE than 1500 mobile phones or parts have been found in Scots jails in the last four years.
The figure emerged yesterday as new laws to banish the devices from jails were being backed at Holyrood.
Justice Secretary Michael Matheson revealed the number as he urged MSPs to support regulations blocking signals from illicit devices behind bars.
The crackdown follows our reports on prisoners brazenly ignoring existing rules by using mobiles to post images on social media.
Matheson said: “The unauthorised use of mobile phones in prison presents a range of serious risks to the security of prisons and to the safety of the public.
“They can be used to plan escape or indiscipline, or to conduct serious organised crime, including drug imports and serious violence from behind bars.”
Matheson told the justice committee 1500 phones and parts like SIM cards had been found since 2013 but many more will have escaped detection. He said steps will be taken to make sure residents near jails won’t be affected by signal jamming.
The committee agreed the regulations, which will now go to the full parliament with a recommendation to approve.