Security fails to hit prison phone supply

INCREASING quantities of mobile phones are being seized in prisons despite the introduction of airport-style security in all prisons and mobile phone blocking systems in three jails.

Official figures show that 1,685 mobile phones have been seized to the end of August this year. This compares with 2,047 for the whole of 2008 and 2,117 for 2007.

If the rate continues this year, it is predicted around 2,500 mobile phones will be seized by the end of 2009, a sharp jump on previous years.