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UK asks Amazon and Ebay to Ban sales of mini phones

Catavenger

New member
SUPER Site Supporter
What do you think? Not everyone want's a huge phone. Why should I be denied a phone like that just because the prisons can't stop them from being smuggled. Oh that's right I won't be denied because (thank you George Washington) I live in the USA
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/uk-asks-amazon-ebay- ban-163300966.html
Justice secretary David Lidington has called on Amazon, eBay and Gumtree to block all sales of miniature mobile phones. These tiny handsets, often less than eight centimetres long, can be bought for £25 online and easily smuggled into prisons. Many are advertised with the slogan "Beat the BOSS," a reference to the Body Orifice Security Scanners (BOSS) used by prison officers to detect knives, firearm components and other small metallic objects. During a speech for the British think tank Reform, Lidington said he had written to all three asking that they take down products clearly intended to "evade detection measures in prison."
"It's pretty clear to me that these miniature phones are being manufactured and sold with the purpose of being smuggled into prisons," he said. "Why after all are they also advertised as being without any metal components?" Lidington said everyone, including retailers, had an interest in tackling organised crime. Miniature phones can be sold for up to £500 in prison, forcing desperate inmates into a lifetime of crippling debt. It's a tempting business for gangs operating both inside and outside of prison — if you're arrested, for instance, and agree to smuggle a phone on your way in, you could be rewarded with a small paycheck upon your release.
The UK government has other countermeasures in the pipeline. Lidington mentioned the Prisons (Interference with Wireless Telegraphy) Bill — a proposed piece of legislation, sponsored by MP Maria Caulfield, that would give network operators the power to detect and block mobile phones inside British prisons. Last year, law enforcement seized 7,000 SIM cards and roughly 35 handsets per day. "The fact is, our prisons are facing a clear and present danger from well organised individuals and criminal networks." he said. "These are networks that are every bit as professionally operated as a legitimate business, but they happen to be engaged in criminal activity."
Mobile phones, however, are just one way criminals are using technology to outmanoeuvre the justice system. Drones have become a popular means of dropping off drugs, phones and other contraband behind prison walls. Police, however, have caught on to the practice and started busting the criminals behind the deliveries. In April, the UK government assembled a "specialist squad" tasked with taking down quadcopter smugglers. The problem, of course, is keeping up with technology and the inventive minds in the criminal underworld. Tackling drones and tiny phones is one problem; predicting the next prison-busting trend is another entirely.
GOV.UK
 
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tiredretired

The Old Salt
SUPER Site Supporter
Those are small. I have a hard enough time keeping tabs on the full size phone I got. I would lose one of those first day, not to mention I could never read that tiny screen. LOL.
 

Catavenger

New member
SUPER Site Supporter
Wrist Radio - Like Dick Tracy? https://www.amazon.com/VECTORCOM-Po...513652558&sr=1-3&keywords=two+way+radio+wrist
Well that's happened too . . .
dick-tracy-300x0.jpg


Myself, I carry a Jitterbug dumb phone in the front pocket of a small camera (I guess that's what it's for) case it's to small to carry a wallet in but I could stuff something like a credit card and drivers license in it. I carry some quarters and a few bills for the bus in it.
 

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
Certainly interesting. I've never heard of that as a problem here in the US or Canada but criminals find ways around all laws that impede them from following through on their illicit tasks.

Seems the easiest way to thwart this activity would be signal blocking devices that prevent cell phones from being used at the facilities.

They can make the phones illegal but I doubt that would prevent them from being smuggled into the UK and further smuggled into the prisons. Chicago still has gun crime. Criminals always find a way.
 

pixie

Well-known member
SUPER Site Supporter
On the drone side of things.... I own a chunk of land. They built 2 prisons about 4 miles away. New drones aren't allowed to fly inside some radius around the prison so I can't use a drone for forest inventory or personal amusement. Thanks.

I'll vote for signal jamming at the prison and leave the rest of the world free to do what it does. How hard can the signal jamming be ??
 

Doc

Bottoms Up
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
I would also think signal jamming would be the simple answer. But, that would also jam the wardens and guards cell phones. Guess they don't want to be inconvenienced themselves.

The can also monitor cell towers to see what phones are being used, while they might not find the phone they can have numbers shut down that are being used on the inside. But ...inmates are given phone privileges on a regular basis. They might be better served to monitor the cell towers and tap the lines of phones that appear to be being illegally used inside the prison. They'd probably be surprised at what they would learn.
 

tiredretired

The Old Salt
SUPER Site Supporter
I say put them on an island by themselves, give them all drugs they want, all the guns they want, outside of cell range, hundreds of cameras to monitor what they do and make it a reality TV show.

There, problem solved. The rest of us can get on with our lives without being inconvenienced with goofy PC laws and regulations. :smile:
 

Catavenger

New member
SUPER Site Supporter
I like some of the smart ass replies to that article like: "They get a sh*tty signal."
 
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