B.C’s Police Communication
System Best in Canada

HEN THE ROYAL Cana-

dian Mounted Police ab-

sorbed the B.C. Provincial
Police in August of this year, it
brought to an end a colorful chapter
in Western Canada’s law enforcement
story, but at the same time it added to
the federal force what has been de-
scribed by experts, as the most com-
prehensive police communication net-
work in any province in the Do-
minion.

The groundwork of this unique
system was laid twenty-one years ago
when the B.C. force innovated (for
the first time in North America) a
complete city-to-city police radio-
telegraph coverage.

Starting with four stations in 1929,
the system has grown until—at the
time of amalgamation this summer—
22 stations were flashing police in-
formation back and forth across
Canada’s Pacific province. These sta-

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Page Seventy-two

tions, located at strategic points, can
all communicate with one another
and with their headquarters in Vic-
toria. They cover distances of from
five to five hundred miles, and further,
if necessary.

In any emergency light weight
portable sets can take the field at a
moment’s notice and they can “hook
in” to the ether circuit from any point
in B.C.’s 360,000-odd square miles.
Weighing about 40 pounds, and
smaller than a suit case, these sets are
miniature radiotelegraph stations,
combining a transmitter and receiver
in each unit. They operate from dry
batteries, a six-volt storage battery or
110 volts if it’s available.

For close range work, such as a
local man hunt, a bush search, or any
acute traffic problem, R.C.A. handy
talkies are used. These weigh but a
few pounds, and hook over the
officer’s shoulder with a convenient
carrying strap. To use them you mere-
ly pull out a tiny telescopic, buggy
whip type aerial and “press to talk”
a standard household type mono-
phone. Equipped with handy talkies
officers can converse with one another
over limited distance of a mile or so.
They have the additional advantage
of being able to talk to any police
cars in the neighborhood. One of
these units has been installed in the
police aircraft, in addition to the
regular radiotelephone equipment.
This means that, if necessary, the
plane can direct cars and men where
a concentrated search is being made.

Police patrol boats along the coast
have of course been radio-equipped
for the past 20 years.

In 1947 another feature was added
to the carefully worked out com-
munication system; this was a sub-
sidiary ultra high frequency three-
way police car network. Here again
R.C.A. fulfilled the need with fre-
quency modulated equipment of the
latest style. Despatching stations are

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strategically located in the larger
municipalities throughout the main-
land and on Vancouver Island. Today
every important centre of population
in British Columbia is patroled by
radio-equipped cars.

An exceedingly difficult task faced
the B.C. Police radio technicians in
establishing the car communication
system, as the mountainous character
of B.C.’s coastal region demanded
high altitude transmission points to
give the required solid coverage that
the police required.

The cars of course are equipped for
three-way operations; that is, they can
not only talk to and from their
office, but to any other police cars
within a reasonable radius, of about
ten miles. Two-way transmissions be-
tween cars have been recorded at
distances of 50 or 60 miles where both
units have had a favorable high up
location.

With the f.m.-equipped car, the

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