The metropolitan government has announced plans to consider using technology that could interfere with mobile phone signals at the Alexander Maconochie Center in Canberra. National mobile phones account for an increasing proportion of seized smuggled goods. This week, a new GPS jammer was installed in Goulburn's Supermax 2 High Security Division, which houses extremists and terrorists. If the first test is successful, a two-year trial will take place in New South Wales Prison.
Modern generation systems include many antennas that interfere with the frequencies normally transmitted by mobile phone signals, making the device unusable. A spokesperson for the Community Justice and Security Bureau said the outcome of the Goulburn trial could lead to the use of the technology in ACT. He states: "Implementing cellular interference at the Alexander Maconochie Center is very complex." "It is worth noting that this is not the first attempt to use this technology in Australia. So far, it has proven different. The resulting solution is expensive. "
The Alexander Maconock Center offers a variety of mobile phones. In 2017, The Canberra Times revealed that the prisoner was captured on a thumb-sized cell phone. The size of these portable jammer means they can be smuggled into the body cavities and contain very little metal, making it more difficult to pick up a metal detector. A spokesperson for the Regional Justice and Security Agency said that human rights law in the Australian Capital Territory does not prevent the introduction of mobile phone jamming technology in Canberra prisons, as mobile phones are banned items. He states: "Currently, detainees are contacted by phone or email through the Alexander McCanoch Center to support relationships with friends and family."
According to ACT law enforcement inspector Neil McAllister, governments in the region will have to wait for Galben to bring the obstructor to justice. One factor to consider when introducing sabotage technology into Canberra is whether the technology affects people around the prison, including those driving the Monaro Highway, and needs to call emergency services.