Police say new digital radios being rolled out across the country are shutting out criminals from radio networks used to direct police resources or transfer personal information.
An increasing number of police districts throughout New Zealand were switching from analogue to digital radio technology and catching more criminals off guard because they did not know what the police were doing, police magazine Ten One reported today.
It said the technology meant criminals and members of the public could no longer use cheap analogue scanners to listen to police radio networks, "improving officer safety and taking more offenders by surprise," said Ten One.
Christchurch City, Auckland City, Counties-Manukau, North Canterbury, Selwyn and Waitemata switched to digital radios late last year. Mid-South Canterbury would make the change later this month, said the magazine.
Wellington district was the first to make the change in June last year but changes for the remaining districts would depend on government funding.
Police used the new digital radios when Irish rock band U2 performed at Mt Smart Stadium in south Auckland last November.
"Communications were better than we have ever experienced before, even under the noisiest of conditions," Inspector Derek Davison told the magazine.
