Programmed Police Frequency

Yeah they have gone Digital or something now, the new radios are worth like $3000.

They want to beat people up without being overheard.

Worm and others watching this post.....

For the past 18 months or so the Police and Fire Brigade in Melbourne have been trialling the new MMR radios (Metropolitan Mobile Radio) which is a new UHF encrypted trunking system. For the duration of the trial, they were simulcasting on both the encrypted digital system AND the old analogue system. A couple of months ago, the analogue system was 'tuned off' and both the police and fire services are now fully encrypted. The Metropolitan Ambulance Service are also to go onto this system with in the next year or so.

The purpose of the encryption, (whilst some 'cynics' may assume that they want to beat people up without being overheard) is to prevent those complete MORONS with $50 scanners who scan the frequencies and then turn up at various scenes making complete nuisances of themselves and hindering those, such as the fire services and the ambulance from doing their job effectively. In this, I include the media, who, whilst they have the right to report on events, have NO right to impede those trying to do their job. Take it from me, all the emergency services jobs are becoming more complicated in nature and the last thing needed at difficult scenes is someone shoving a bright light with a camera attached in one's face. Would you like an Intensive Care Paramedic being hassled by some gong-banger with a scanner, whilst he is calculating drug doses for your pain relief or the anaesthetic he is about to perform on you? I certainly wouldn't. It's hard enough doing all this at 3am anyway.

Mike, I would hope that if you are ever in the situation of requiring help from these emergency services in a potentially life threatening circumstance, you would also appreciate the need for these persons to do their job without hinderence. The encrypting of their radios is simply a small step towards this goal.

I agree with some previous posts, that there are a few rotten apples amongst the bunch who should be sought out and have the full force of the law brough against them, but the VAST majority of these people are doing a very difficult job, which, by and large, is a service to the community. Whilst I didn't read the links shown, I would imagine these would be from media sources, where it would be in their financial interest to 'sensationalise' the facts to sell more papers. When you have been involved in some of these events, then read about them in the paper, often the 'facts' bear little resemblence to the actual circumstances of the case. Don't blindly believe everything that you read in the papers! Also these particular 'squads' that you mention, make up a 'microscopic' percentage in terms of numbers in the poice force.

I know that everyone has a right to their opinion, and there will always be those who HATE the police or any other form of authority, but as another poster suggested, there are a few morons who drive 4WD's and we, as a group, generally dislike being 'lumped' into the same category as them.

Cheers,

Mark
...who is looking forward to the commencement of the NON-SCANNABLE ambulance frequencies!

I am not employed by any Police Service, however my job does require Police co-operation at various times and from what I have witnessed the transfer to digital encoding is long overdue.

Serial crims are invariably equipped with scanners so as to avoid apprehension.

Ian

So does this mean that the Tow-truck vultures won't turn up 10 minutes before the Police and Ambulance any more?

Noticed the same thing - used to hit the scan button when sitting in peak hour traffic for some "local colour". As some one else said pretty depressing really.

With 88 programable channels available on the Icom it would be good to replace police/MFB etc with something interesting. Any suggestions?

Adrian