People using radio scanners on the Sunshine Coast are getting nothing but static on RCMP frequencies.
Sunshine Coast RCMP have made the switch to digital radio systems.
Staff Sergeant Herb Berdahl is the detachment commander. He says digital offers a better signal without interference.
Berdahl also says the ability to encrypt the signal means improved safety for officers, and anonymity for people who call police for help. He says some people have been reluctant to contact police for fear their names will go out over the radio, and getting the word out about the switch will help overcome the reluctance.   “We’re hopeful it will allow people to call the police without the fear of other people hearing their name repeated over a scanner,” he says.
It won’t be long before all BC RCMP detachments go digital. Port Alberni switched late in the fall, Nanaimo and Oceanside made the move a couple of years ago.
