Vic police and emergency services receive radio upgrade

Outdated police and emergency services radios will be replaced by the Victorian Government under a seven-year contract with Telstra.

The public will not be able to intercept communications on these new radios, which will replace analog systems with their encrypted digital technology.

“This sophisticated technology is more secure, has better voice clarity, will reduce the risk of communication failures and improve safety for our emergency services personnel and the community,” said Minister for Emergency Services James Merlino.

The contract provides more than 8000 radios for Victoria Police, Victoria State Emergency Services, Life Saving Victoria and Corrections Victoria, and can be expanded to provide radio support services for other government agencies.

“The safety of Victorian Police is our highest priority and we’re making sure that the public can’t listen in on police operations and they have the right tools to catch criminals,” said Minister for Police Lisa Neville.

Work is underway upgrading the radio towers, with further work on key base infrastructure in early 2017. This will enable the rollout of the in-car and handheld radios from the middle of 2017.

The government invested $11.5 million in the 2015–16 Victorian State Budget for police to upgrade to the new digital system, with further funding realised through efficiencies made by moving to the new digital system.

Image credit: ©Rafael Ben-Ari/Dollar Photo Club