Tait radios to help combat organised crime in South America

Tait Radio Communications has struck export success in South America after securing two new deals in Brazil.

Military police fighting organised crime in the state of Paraná have selected hi-tech digital mobile radios designed and built by the Christchurch company.
Polícia Militar do Paraná officers, responsible for policing across Paraná’s 77,000 square miles of state territory, will use the highly secure encrypted P25 mobile radios in their vehicles, mainly in the capital of Curitiba.

More than 10 million people live in the state of Parana, in southern Brazil.

P25 is an international open standard for the manufacturing of interoperable digital two-way wireless communications.

The standard, which is also used by New Zealand Police, allows for improved communications within and between agencies—especially emergency services.

A built-in safety feature on the cutting-edge mobile radios is a sensitive covert microphone which, when activated, allows the radio to transmit and receive hands-free, even when the handset has been removed.

Meanwhile, Brazil’s Sao Paulo Civil Police has committed to a new US$4 million upgrade of its existing Tait P25 digital radio network to trunking operation, which will further help officers combat organized crime in the southern hemisphere’s largest metropolis of more than 11 million people.
Frank Owen, Tait Radio Communications Managing Director, said: “North and South America are important regions for Tait and we continue to make excellent progress in our strategy to deliver and support networks that public safety users can rely on and services that add real value for our clients.

“Our focus on extensive research and development into P25 open-standards technology, backed by funding from the NZ Foundation for Research, Science and Technology, is enabling Tait to grow and to deliver tangible benefits to government agencies, such as Sao Paulo.

“Our public safety clients make up a global community of agencies, and reference sites, such as the NZ Police P25 trunked network and Washington’s Grant County, have enabled Tait to succeed across competitive international markets and return valuable export dollars to New Zealand,” said Mr Owen.

“This translates into real benefits for our 1,300-plus NZ suppliers—642 of which are based right here in Christchurch.”