THE police are seeking the assistance of mobile phone companies to determine whom prisoners were communicating with, Clifton Hicken, the Georgetown Police Commander said Wednesday, following a raid at the Camp Street prison that unearthed a quantity of mobile phones. Saturday last, a Joint Services search unearthed 44 mobile phones and 30 phone batteries, along with a large quantity of improvised weapons.

Usually, a prepaid mobile SIM card is purchased with an ID before it is activated.

“That investigation is ongoing; the phones are with us and there is a procedure in the force where there is a documentation that passes through the policy-makers in the force, through the phone companies by way of application.

“They [telecommunication providers] will send back the application after which we will proceed with the investigation which will be in the public domain,” Commander of ‘A’ Division, Clifton Hicken said Wednesday.

The Commander said that any charges related to the phones would have to be based on the advice of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

It was also reported that the operation, dubbed ‘Operation restore order’, netted a quantity of razor blades, lighters, files and tattoo machines.

Director of Prisons, Carl Graham, had said that he is confident that measures are in place to prevent the flow of illegal items into prisons.

The search Saturday followed the March 3, 2016 riots which left 17 prisoners dead.

The riot started after prisoners protested the confiscation of their mobile phones, among other greivances.

The prisoners had complained that one phone call a week was not enough, and following the riot, the authorities have begun to allow two calls per week.