Brussels (Brussels Morning Newspaper): Belgium’s Justice Minister, Paul Van Tigchelt, calls mobile phones in prisons a “plague,” with over 300 seized yearly. To tackle this, 22 detection devices are being introduced, and a jamming pilot project will start in January 2024 to block phone signals and improve security.
According to the Belgian Justice Minister, Paul Van Tigchelt, mobile phones in prisons are a major problem that he calls a “plague.” These are mostly smuggled into prisons and are often used for various crimes, including planning a crime or intimidating someone. Prisons carry out regular searches to find and take away these devices, and staff also discover phones during their daily routines. Despite these efforts, over 300 phones are seized each year.
What measures is Belgium taking to detect and block mobile phones in Prisons?
To enhance the detection capabilities of mobile phones in jails, the Directorate-General for Penitentiary Institutions bought 22 advanced devices used in locating these phones. These devices will be delivered immediately and distributed to all correctional facilities in Belgium to find unauthorised devices.
Minister Van Tigchelt is considering using jamming systems in prisons to block mobile signals. This method makes phones unusable. A pilot project will begin in January 2025 at a Belgian prison to test how effective the jamming technology is before expanding its use. This combination of detection devices and jamming systems highlights the Belgian government’s commitment to addressing the ongoing issue of mobile phones in prisons.
