Police radio transmissions will soon be encrypted in parts of the state’s north under new arrangements aimed at improving officer safety in the region.

The encryption process, which is expected to go-live mid-September, will affect digital radio across Central Hunter, Hunter Valley, Port Stephens and Manning Great Lakes Local Area Commands.

This follows the successful encryption of police digital radios across all commands in the Sydney metropolitan region, Newcastle and Wollongong seven years ago.

Northern Region Commander, Assistant Commissioner Jeff Loy, said the strategy represents an important step forward in ensuring the safety of police.

“Criminals will no longer be able to listen in on police radio transmissions to track emergency responses, which means we’re eliminating a significant risk to officer safety,” Assistant Commissioner Loy said.

“Policing can be a highly challenging and dangerous job and we’ll continue to develop and implement strategies that make their role as safe as possible.

“Encrypting radio transmissions not only means protecting our officers but also helping them solve and prevent crime,” Assistant Commissioner Loy said.

The change will also affect local media organisations as they’ll no longer have access to monitor police radio via scanners in newsrooms and vehicles.

“We will continue to assist media in the vital role they play in communicating information to the public that helps tackle crime,” Assistant Commissioner Loy said.

“To maintain this connection, we’ve developed the Police External Agencies Transfer System (PEATS), an internet feed that’s proved effective for a number of years in providing information on police activity, in place of radio transmissions.

“In addition, we’ll work with affected media organisations to ensure the new measures allow opportunities to attend operations of public significance,” Assistant Commissioner Loy said.