23.10.

2018

PRIVATE NOTICE QUESTION

To ask the Honourable Minister Mentor, Minister of Defence, Minister for

Rodrigues –

Whether, in view of the very serious issues with regard to the prison
services identified by the Commission on Inquiry of Drug Trafficking in
Mauritius, he will state if he will consider the setting up, as recommended
in paragraph 7.13.14 of the Report of the Commission, an in-depth inquiry
into the prison administration, including, to probe into the corrupt prison
officers and also dealing with –

(a) control of drug trade from inside prisons;

(b) rehabilitation and reintegration of prisoners; and

(c) prison infrastructures?

REPLY

Madam Speaker,

With your permission, I shall reply this PNQ

together with PQ B/918 as they relate to the same
subject matter.

At the outset, I wish to highlight that well before

the publication of the Report of the Commission of
Inquiry on drugs, I had instructed the Commissioner
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of Prisons to initiate a series of measures to control
the entry of individuals in our prisons, including
visitors and lawyers, as well as the entry of
prohibited items such as mobile phones and illicit
substances.

These measures were as follows:

(a) Every detainee or any person entering the

prison is subjected to a body search at the
Search Room and security devices, such
as handheld metal detectors, Body Orifice
Security Scanner (BOSS) chair and Walk
Through Metal Detector Door, are used to
detect any intrusion of prohibited articles.
Furthermore, “Under Vehicle Search
Mirrors” are used to check the underneath

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 of vehicles when such vehicles are
exceptionally allowed to enter the prison;

(b) Officers are being lectured regularly on

their prime duty which is to keep detainees
in safe custody. They are regularly
reminded that the presence of offensive
weapon may endanger the lives of
detainees as well as their own lives and
simultaneously undermine the security of
the prison;

(c) The prison personnel continues to carry

out strip searches upon detainees prior to
allowing them in and out of the prison;

(d) Selected Officers are posted at Watch

Towers and they are instructed to be
vigilant and alert at all times. They control
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 and monitor the movement of persons
walking on the road side of the security
walls to detect the pelting of prohibited
articles over the walls of the prison;

(e) An application form was specifically

designed and implemented to control the
access of legal advisers into our prisons.
This document had received the consent of
the Bar Council. Following this measure, it
has been noted that visits by legal
representatives to the prisons have
reduced considerably; and

(f) Amendment has been brought to the

Reform Institutions Act to criminalise the
possession of prohibited articles inside
prisons and for such contraveners to serve
sentence consecutively when found guilty
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 of an offence under the Reforms
Institutions Act. The Ministry of Housing
and Lands is currently conducting a survey
of all prisons for the delimitation of zones,
to allow the use of mobile phones in certain
specific areas, for example in residential
quarters.

Madam Speaker,

Following the publication of the Commission of

Inquiry on Drug Trafficking Report in Mauritius, the
Commissioner of Prisons set up a special committee
to look into the findings and recommendations.
Thereafter, as a first measure, officers who have
been named in the Commission of Inquiry Report
have been redeployed outside the prisons, where
they do not have contact with detainees. Moreover,
the Prison Intelligence Gathering Officers have
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worked out on different possible avenues for the
entry of prohibited articles inside the prisons, and on
4 October 2018, a Circular was issued by the
Commissioner for security enhancement at the Gate
Lodge in all prisons.

The Prisons Department has also established a

close collaboration with Police for sharing of
information and effecting wide searches in different
prisons.

Additionally, the Prisons Department is in the

process of acquiring another BOSS chair and a Walk
Through Metal Detector Door for the Phoenix Prison.

To prevent pelted articles from reaching

detainees and to deter those pelting these articles,
the following additional measures have been taken:
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(i) Regular vehicular patrols are being carried
out to reinforce security along the walls both
inside and outside the prison.

(ii) Some CCTV cameras have been relocated

to deter pelting and a new CCTV
surveillance system has been installed.

(iii) Posting of sentry officers at places identified

as being prone to pelting.

(iv) Arrangement is being made for the

compulsory acquisition of a stretch of land of
50m width on three sides of the Eastern High
Security Prison for a “Buffer-Zone”.

(v) One drone (Remotely Piloted Aircraft)

equipped with camera has been procured
for observation and surveillance of the
prison security walls and its vicinity. Five

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 prison officers have already undergone
training to operate the drone.

Madam Speaker,

I am also informed that with the installation of

outside lighting at Eastern High Security Prison,
Melrose, this year, all prisons are now adequately
lighted inside and outside during the night.

Outer CCTV surveillance system is operational

in all prisons except at Richelieu Open Prison, Open
Prison for Women and Eastern High Security Prison.
However, currently prison staff are posted on foot
patrol or vehicular patrol during the night. It is
envisaged to introduce CCTV surveillance system in
the outer perimeter of these prisons at a later stage.

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Madam Speaker,

As regard part (b) of the Question, as stated in

my reply to PQ B474 of 22 May 2018, I enumerated
the actions taken to ensure the rehabilitation of
prisoners as follows:
(i) pastoral care and moral instruction
sessions;
(ii) sensitisation programme on drug use
prevention;
(iii) residential counselling of detainees
undergoing methadone substitution
therapy;
(iv) medical care and psychological support;
(v) counselling on suicide prevention and
positive thinking;
(vi) art therapy and Tai chi classes;
(vii) numeracy and literacy courses;
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(viii) MITD/MQA approved courses in welding,
pastry, garment making and wood work.
To date, some 205 detainees have been
awarded MITD/MQA approved Certificates
for successful completion of courses;
(ix) training of detainees in various trades like
bakery, vegetable production, composting,
basketry and fibre craft; shoe making,
tailoring, carpentry, housekeeping,
masonry, painting and decorations; and
(x) courses in entrepreneurship.

Moreover, every three years, two detainees

are granted scholarships to follow distance
learning courses leading to Bachelor’s degree in
Business Management at the Open University of
Mauritius. So far two detainees have
successfully graduated.
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 These measures are in line with Paragraph 139
of Government Programme 2015-2019.

Madam Speaker,

As regards part (c) of the Question, regular

maintenance and repairs are being carried out in
different prisons to provide a better working
environment. As far as practicable, the Mauritius
Prison Service is envisaging to redesign cells to
deter detainees from committing suicide.

Madam Speaker,

As stated by the Prime Minister in his reply to PQ

B/804, a Task Force has been set up under the chair
of the Director-General of the Independent
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Commission Against Corruption, to coordinate the
implementation, by the relevant investigative
agencies, of the recommendations contained in the
Report of the Commission of Inquiry on Drug
Trafficking and its annexes, in relation to –

(i) further enquiries that the Commission has

earnestly called for in a number of identified
areas;
(ii) those cases where names have been
mentioned;
(iii) cases where the Commission has drawn
attention to but has not been able to gather
sufficient evidence to investigate into;
(iv) any other matter not mentioned in the Report
but which might be related to the above; and

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 (v) a Committee under the chair of the Secretary
to Cabinet and Head of the Civil Service and
comprising representatives of Ministries/
Departments/ Organisations concerned to
look into the legal/ institutional/ administrative
issues contained in the Report of the said
Commission of Inquiry.

I also wish to inform the House that out of 87

recommendations concerning prisons made by the
Commission of Inquiry, 32 measures have already
been implemented and 22 other measures are
currently being implemented. However, it is a fact
that the implementation of a few other measures
may take some time as they require amendments to
legislation or a major change in policy decision.

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 Since a series of measures have already been
initiated at the level of prisons and the Task Force is
also conducting its assignment, it is not intended at
this stage to set up an inquiry as requested by the
Leader of Opposition.

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