http://www.stuff.co.nz/inl/index/0,1008,662392a1896,FF.html Police to pay Vodafone $1m to tap criminals 22 FEBRUARY 2001 Vodafone customers will no longer escape surveillance after police complete a deal with the mobile phone company that will allow them to tap into digital phones. It was revealed yesterday that police sought $1.1 million from the Government to pay Vodafone to help them track calls. Communications Minister Paul Swain said last night that police had already been allocated the money for the deal, expected to be completed in a few weeks. The Crimes Act allows police to intercept all phone calls, but police cannot decode the Vodafone digital network, which uses encryption technology. Mr Swain said New Zealand lagged behind other countries that made it compulsory for all telecommunications companies to be able to be intercepted by police. Policy considerations were being examined that would make it compulsory for all telecommunications providers to use networks that could be intercepted by police. "This would mean that if new telecommunications companies came on the scene they would have to fit the bill if they were using a network that could not be intercepted," Mr Swain said. Police Association president Greg O'Connor questioned yesterday why police should have to pick up the bill for the cost. "In the United States and in Australia, the providers have to provide access to the police and other agencies to be able to tap phones," Mr O'Connor said. "In New Zealand it doesn't happen. In New Zealand the telecommunications companies are creaming it off police." An amendment to the Crimes Act already allowed police to intercept electronic communications, however, police needed to produce and enforce search warrants in order to get information from phone companies. According to police papers, last year police also paid Telecom to enable them to tap their phones. The issue was similar to one raised last year about a $250,000 annual bill police received from Vodafone for doing searches. "The reason we (the association) didn't talk about tapping digital phones until now was because we didn't want to alert the criminals to the fact that we couldn't do it," Mr O'Connor said. Police national crime manager Bill Bishop said police were still discussing possible legislation with government. Police would not comment on their ability to intercept electronic communications. Tentacle Chronicles