THE DAYS of listening to the police scanner are set to become a thing of the past next week as police switch to digital radio.
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The New England and Oxley Police Districts have slowly been transferring over to the encrypted network throughout this year.
Police radio technicians have been working on the encryption process across every town in the New England North West region, changing every police car and portable radio, as well as the stations and communication towers over.
Now, the go-live date has been set for December 3, with police heralding it as a project that improves communications and boosts officer safety.
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The change encrypts all communications between police officers. The Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong areas were switched over almost a decade ago.
"Criminals will no longer be able to listen in on police radio transmissions to track emergency responses, which means we're eliminating a significant risk to officer safety," the Western Region's top cop, Assistant Commissioner Geoff McKechnie, said.
"Policing can be a highly challenging and dangerous job and we'll continue to develop and implement strategies that make their role as safe as possible.
"Encrypting radio transmissions not only means protecting our officers but also helping them solve and prevent crime."
The Western Region is the last area in the state to be encrypted, with digital radios in place across all other parts of NSW.
Assistant Commissioner McKechnie said the upgrade has "significantly improved" the transmission and coverage of the radio for his officers.
Chifley and Central West police districts will follow closely before the end of the year, with Central North and Orana Mid Western police districts in mid-2020.
Breanna Chillingworth
Northern Daily Leader Senior Crime and Court Reporter
Northern Daily Leader Senior Crime and Court Reporter
