APRIL 28, 2015 \ MACEDONRANGES.STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
NEWS + SPORT + PROPERTY GUIDE
Pilots reach for the chai
(Joe Mastroianni)
Join the high-flyers at Kyneton Aero Club for a morning tea with a difference at the club’s annual Biggest Morning Tea, from 10am this Saturday. A display of aircraft, including many vintage models from Kyneton and beyond, will add an extra ‘flavour’ for the diners. Club president Matt Henderson (pictured) says as many as 60 planes will take to the skies for the Cancer Council fundraiser at Kyneton airfield. For more details or to donate, visit goo.gl/0qiFla. Matt Crossman
End digital divide: Cops By Matt Crossman The state government is being urged to speed up the rollout of digital radio for police in the Macedon Ranges amid concerns that criminals, including family violence offenders, are using scanners to listen to communications. Police communications in regional areas still operate on an analogue network, which can be easily picked up on scanners and smartphone applications with a 15-second delay. Officers in metropolitan Melbourne and
Geelong use an encrypted digital network. Labor promised a $10 million upgrade of systems in country areas before last year’s state election. Macedon Ranges Inspector Ryan Irwin said police knew that some people, including thieves and those involved in family violence situations, were using scanners to ‘‘inform’’ their own movements. ‘‘The current system just isn’t secure,’’ Inspector Irwin said. ‘‘One of the other issues is privacy … quite often our members will pull someone over and run through details like their address and even criminal history
mother’s day
over the radio.’’ Inspector Irwin said police had waited many years for improvements to the network. ‘‘We certainly welcome the government’s commitment and look forward to getting back to parity with our city colleagues, who have enjoyed a secure, digital system for some years.’’ Loddon Campaspe Community Legal Centre lawyer Bonnie Renou said that, along with promised improvements to court infrastructure, she supported upgrades to police resources to help them keep victims of family violence safe.
messages of love see inside
Macedon Labor MP Mary-Anne Thomas has urged Police Minister Wade Noonan to visit and talk to police about their concerns. ‘‘It is vitally important that police attending family violence incidents and other crimes can do so with confidence that their radio systems are secure,’’ Ms Thomas said. ‘‘It is appalling to think that anyone with the right smartphone application or scanner … could be listening in to the police radio.’’ A spokesman for Mr Noonan said a visit had yet to be scheduled, but the government remained committed to replacing ‘‘outdated and unsafe police radios’’.