13 May 2001
Hawkins: All Highway Patrol Vehicles To Have Link-Line Radios

The Minister of Police, George Hawkins, has confirmed that all Highway Patrol vehicles are being equipped with link-line radios.

Link-line radios allow Police to remain in radio contact when they are in remote areas where there is no portable radio coverage, or when they are required to work away from their vehicles.

The Highway Patrol, which was announced by Mr Hawkins in last year's Budget, is a specialist group to police New Zealand's state highways. Eventually the Highway Patrol will boast 225 staff and 183 vehicles.

Mr Hawkins said the process of equipping the existing 82 Highway Patrol vehicles with link-line radios will be completed within the next three weeks.

New Highway Patrol vehicles provided from 1 July 2001 will arrive in the police districts already equipped with link-line radios.

"I want to ensure the safety of Highway Patrol staff, who often work in difficult circumstances" said Mr Hawkins.

Ends

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>