COPS have unearthed several cellphones and improvised weapons at the New Amsterdam Prison during a search there on Friday.

The search was carried out by members of the Guyana Prison Service, Guyana Defence Force and the Guyana Fire Service based on information received, said ‘B’ Division Commander Paul Williams.

According to Prisons Director Gladwyn Samuels, the search unearthed
15 cellular phones, most of which were smart phones and 15 improvised
weapons, made from spoons and other metal objects that were sharpened.

In light of the recent unrest, fire and prison breaks, many have been accusing prison officers of colluding with inmates by taking in contraband, especially cellular phones.

This enables the prisoners to make contact with accomplices outside and hatch various schemes to create disruption and by extension to escape.

As a result, Commander Williams told reporters after the search that he had reliable intelligence that prisoners in New Amsterdam were in possession of prohibited items that may cause a disturbance in the prison.

The commander said he immediately summoned the prison authorities,the Fire Service and the Guyana Defence Force and held a meeting, where he disclosed the information to them and a decision was taken to conduct the search immediately.

He noted that while the prison authorities conduct regular searches, they did not want to sit on the information and decided to act on it immediately.

As a result, a Joint Services team was mobilised and conducted a thorough search.

“We want to ensure that whatever is the plan, we want to divert such
persons or the items from within the jurisdiction of the prison and
also to ensure that there is no such opportunity creating itself to
what has happened in Georgetown.”

Williams added that in light of the information received, security in and around the prison will be heightened and more unannounced searches will be conducted.

Commander Williams recently took over the helm of the division from Ian
Amsterdam, who recently went on pre-retirement leave.

He is asking residents to cooperate with him and his team as he settles in, noting that sometimes the actions of the police may cause some discomfort to
residents, but it is done in good faith as matters of national security.

“Whatever may be a little disruption from the normal day-to-day activities, we are just asking them to bear with us and comply. We will ensure that during this process, discomfort will not be caused or any abusive approach by ranks that may ultimately cause problems,” he said.