Dhaka: Police will develop a nationwide high-tech internal communication network called Digital Mobile Radio (DMR) to ensure secrecy in their message transmission and exchange systems avoiding possible taps by criminals.

Officials familiar with the process said 15 districts out of 17 of police’s Dhaka range by now came under the DMR system as part of a pilot project while police headquarters decided to expand the network to all police stations across the country in phases, replacing the existing analogue system.

They said 2040 handsets and 301 fixed sets and 20 repeaters have been purchased to introduce the system in 15 districts.

‘The system initially appears expensive but eventually it would save costs as policemen would not require to make calls using their mobile phones for professional communications,’ said a senior official at the police headquarters.

He, however, said it might take ‘some time’ to establish the nationwide DMR network, which would enable police personnel to make one-to-one and group conversations and send messages like mobile phones.

Police officials said the currently used police walki-talki system failed to protect the secrecy of conversation while the DMR system is developed in such a way that none can hear conversations between two people or among a group of people.

The project was taken at the cost of Tk 9.30crore was taken up several years ago in line with the government’s Digital Bangladesh campaign while all the DMR equipment were purchased from Hytera Communications Company Limited of China.