Newfoundland and Labrador’s two police forces have begun using the new province-wide radio system, and while its aim is to improve overall public safety and response coordination, it is also going to benefit officer safety.

RCMP Chief Superintendent Pat Cahill explains that there used to be a lot of “dead spots” where police radio systems were inoperable.

While there will still be some zones without connectivity, Cahill says the number of such spots will be greatly reduced.

He uses some smaller detachments where there might only be three officers as an example. Before, an officer might stop a vehicle on the side of the highway in the middle of the night, but if it is in a dead zone not be able to contact the detachment, thus creating a safety risk while responding. He says that problem has essentially been eliminated.