[TheList] FW: [Some] News media to get access to police website

Sat May 23 06:09:18 AEST 2009

See the below from Rick (thanks Rick, note the posting address for this new list please thelist at radiowiki.org.nz<mailto:thelist at radiowiki.org.nz> )
Cheers

From: Rick [mailto:smithr at ihug.co.nz]
Sent: Friday, 22 May 2009 11:24 p.m.
To: thelist-bounces at nzscanners.org.nz
Subject: [Some] News media to get access to police website

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Published on Otago Daily Times Online (http://www.odt.co.nz)
News media to get access to police website
Created 21/05/2009 - 04:01

Police will launch a new website for news gathering organisations when they start encrypting their radio traffic in the Wellington region next month.

The new digital radio network -- to be widened to cover the whole country by 2014 -- will stop people listening in to police communications.

Though police welcome some unauthorised listeners -- ranging from hobbyists, to boy racers and would-be criminals -- being blocked from eavesdropping, they plan to offer media "filtered" access to initial incident reports.

But the messages released in the public interest will not include details of suicides or insecure premises.

Some events involving special situations will not include specific addresses and messages dealing with routine tasks such as checking on alarms, or bail breaches and the locations of roadside breath testing will never go on the website.

Some of the brief incident reports will be withheld for an hour, with potential for incident commanders to extend that, in callouts involving aggravate robbery, hostage situations, domestic violence, sexual offences, and incidents involving juveniles or mentally ill people.

"Natsec" events involving national security, and offences "against the national interest", including terrorism will also be blocked for an hour.

But traffic crashes, missing people, burglary and other theft, rescues and arson will be listed within minutes.

"Everything goes out, unless there is a reason not to," said a spokeswoman at police headquarters.

"But we will delay things to do with sexual attacks, children and sudden deaths."

Police would have to check that sudden deaths were not suicides, because reporting details of those was limited by the Coroner's Act.

She said media access to the incident listing would be through a password-protected website.

Approved media outlets would be legal entities with physical premises in New Zealand, operating newsrooms, including broadcasters, newspapers, news agencies and web-based news services.

Individual journalists, freelancers, and magazines and periodicals are not expected to be given access.

"You basically have to have a newsroom ... publishing timely information," the spokeswoman said.

Newsrooms in the Wellington region will be given information in the next couple of weeks about accessing the website.

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Source URL (retrieved on 21/05/2009 - 23:12): http://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/57147/news-media-get-access-police-website

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