Radio SOS brings help in 2+ minutes
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• Seven police cars and 10 officers surrounded a bus in only minutes when the two-way radio system being fitted in Newcastle Corporation buses to combat attacks on crews was tested last week.
The test was watched by representatives of the transport committee, platform staff and police, and only police car crews who raced to the scene were unaware that the radio's SOS from the driver was an exercise.
Committee chairman air. Neville Trotter said that the knowledge that police could get to the scene of trouble so quickly would act as a great deterrent to trouble-makers. Bus driver Mr. John McGregor, platform staff representative on the city's liaison committee to help prevent attacks on crews, said: "Crews will be very pleased with the results. Normally when an attack takes place and one of the crew has to dash away and find a telephone to dial 999 the best we can hope for is help arriving in 10 or 12 minutes."
Fifty buses are being fitted with the £2000 radio sets linked up with corporation transport headquarters. They will be used for services on routes where trouble has occurred in the past.