VALUE OF WIRELESS

Hokitika Guardian, 4 October 1924, Page 1

VALUE OF WIRELESS

— FOR POLICE ACTION. SYDNEY, Sept. IS. The past few (lays have provided two instances of tlie value ol wireless equipment for tlie police night patrols of Svdut-v and Melbourne. ’I he latter city has adopted this method of ciimliiuideating from headquarters with the motor patrol lor Ihe past year or more, bill iii Sydney the- system was only installed a' week ago, and is only on a mouth's trial. T!k- aerial ol the wireloss is neatly oobwi-bbed under the hood of tin- police car which rushes hum suburb to suburb, without any nx<-:' plans, througlmiil the night. Hitherto tin- system lias been for one ol the two ollicers on hoard to ring up the headquarters by t elephnne at staled iutcivals I liroiiglioiil. the night, when any instruction-; were eoiiiliinnii-aled lo the patrol. Now. lioMever. one of the olh,er:. with the receiver:, always at his ear... and at anv moment throughout the nigbl head-quarters, immediately ii|min in eipt of information that burglars arc operating at any point, or Ilia! any liaiun-niii;; requires tin- presence of tlio police, advises tln* patrol by tlie Morse code, and the patrol at 0i1.,. .lashes to the scene. I.an- on Saturday night the Sydney headquarters were advised that a tram (•.induc tor, while walking lo his home in one ol the suburb-, had been set upon bv footpads and robbed. The facts were at once tapped out on the Morse, and within half an hour two men were under arrest. ’1 lie Aleihoiirue case, although it turned out to he a false alarm, was even more strik-

ing. and drew an expression of warm appreciation from cx-Senator Keating to whose homo in AA'alslt St., South Yarra, the patrol made a dash from South Melbourne during the week-end, in response to a wireless message received that burglars were operating in the dwelling. It. appears that the 17-ycar-uld daughter of Air Keating heard men’s voices in an adjoining fiat, which she knew was not occupied, as the tenants had left for tlio country. Investigating, she discovered that the door, which was usually open, was shut. She communicated her suspicions to her brother who advised her In notify the police. A telephone message was despatched to Russel! street, and in due course, the night- patrol received the message from the Domain wireless station. At the time they were cruising about on the boundary of Mori Alclbnurne and South Melbourne, and although several miles away from the scene of the supposed robbery, it only took them about live iniuules to reach the house. In the meantime, however. Air Keating had ascertained that his .laiigldi-r s li-.iis acre groundless. Before Senior (.'unstable Kyan and the other (om-Lihlr-tool; their departure. Air Keating tool; the opportunity of congrnt tilniing them op tlie elliei'-ie-y ol tlie patrol system, tie said he had no idea that the ears could work with such precision and promptitude. So successful has the system proved ill Afelhoiiriie. that during the past week tin- equipment of ears and apparatus has been much improved, and it is ostimnli-d that two minutes should In- the average time between the sending of a call to a police wireless patrol car and the arrival of t.lie car at its destination. A new wireless receiving set was satisfactorily worked with a second patrol car. There are now two , cars regularly patrolling tlie metropolitan area, both capable ol receiving wireless messages, and of a speed ol about SO miles an hour. Formerly the average time to reach a destination has been about four minutes. Sciiior-Mlain-i-lollies Constable F. \Y. Downie. in charge of the wireless section, is confident that, this time will he reduced bv hall at least. One ear will operate north of ihe Yarra and one south, though in Ihe event of a message being received while a car is near the boundary, reporting trouble in the other's patrol area, thenwill I thing to prevent both ear? visiting I lie scene. There is I ready keen competition between the Iwo patrols and great eagerness is disnlaveil in securing positions in this liruiieh.