UK Prisoners using PS3s to commit crime?

Written by Joe Martin

May 14, 2009 | 10:59

Tags: #crime #criminal #playstation-3 #prison #ps3

Companies: #soca

The Serious Organised Crime Agency has claimed that prisoners in the UK may well be using PlayStation 3s to communicate with the outside world with the express purpose being to organise criminal activities.

The claim appeared first in The Times and comes from SOCA director general Bill Hughes, who made the comment at a launch event for a new SOCA report.

"We know that one of the issues is that if you are locked up, how do you communicate with others? And we have been highlighting the fact it is not always with mobile telephones," he said.

"There is other technology used. People are using PlayStations to charge their mobile phones and are playing games interactively with others, so are able to communicate with them."

Hughes claims that organised criminals are using the chat and content creation features in PlayStation 3 games to connect to their criminal cohorts on the outside, organising all manner of illegal activities. "Communication is the name of the game and criminals are looking to exploit new technologies. Prisoners have rights and they have access to the Internet," he said.

Of course, the simple solution would be to just unplug the PlayStation 3 from the 'net, but according to the UK Prison Service that isn't needed as the comments are a load of rubbish. A spokesperson for the Prison Service insisted that convicts do not have access to wireless technology at all because of a previous decision - one which barred Prisons from allowing current games consoles into prisons. SOCA insists it has heard otherwise.

What's your opinion of the UK legal system? Should prisoners be allowed to play games? Let us know your thoughts in the forums.
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