THE Government of Guyana, through the Ministry of Public Security, will be working assiduously to equip all local prisons with scanners in a bid to reduce contraband from entering them.

The minister’s comments Friday followed the Mother’s Day party held by prisoners stationed at the New Amsterdam penitentiary.
On Mother’s Day, photographs posted by an inmate of the prison, Abdul Andre Azimullah, a murder suspect, went viral on social media as that prisoner and fellow inmates posed with hard liquor, energy drinks and were smoking what is believed to be marijuana cigarettes.
Investigations were launched by the hierarchy of the prison service to determine how the inmates were able to obtain the alcohol and contraband.

At a recent press conference held by the Alliance For Change (AFC), party leader Khemraj Ramjattan told reporters that while an investigation into the incident is ongoing, efforts are being made to beef up security at all prisons across the country.
He said there is a great need to professionalise the prison service though hiring of new recruits. “I honestly believe that this is being done by some rogue elements in our prison system. The prison warders are doing this, colluding with them (prisoners). There is no doubt in my mind,” said the public security minister.

He noted too that some prison warders were in the past dismissed for engaging in such activities, while adding that it seems to be “an extremely profitable thing”.
“That is why it is better to remove them from the prison. This is another reason why people who are smoking marijuana should be removed and not subjected to imprisonment and custodial penalty,” Ramjattan declared.

He told reporters that while on a recent trip to Phoenix, Arizona as part of the CariSecure work study tour, he was able to observe the prison and police system there. Ramjattan described the system as “extremely advanced” while pointing to the fact that many of the officers there are college graduates and are paid a minimum of US$6400 as opposed to local officers being paid a maximum of US$400.

“So you could understand that some of them feel the norm is to go and carry the cocaine for all these big boys and their families will pay them,” Ramjattan added while stressing the need to professionalise the prison service.

“Honesty also comes from the individual knowing that when you do this, it could be a major security risk. Somebody could get high and then burn down the prison,” the minister stated while assuring that efforts are being made to have the scanners placed at the entrance to all prisons, including the maximum security prison located at Mazaruni, Region Seven.

“A security system that is based on scanners is very expensive,” said Ramjattan, who noted that he, along with Minister of Public Telecommunications Catherine Hughes, have been interacting with persons who are inclined to help Guyana in this regard.

“Technology is expensive. I will try again this year to get the scanner for all these prisons. We understand too that we had a scanner for some place and the people just by pass the scanner; so we really have to professionalise our prison warders,” Ramjattan concluded.