Reporters will no longer be able to monitor the force's radio frequencies when transmissions go digital in November
Reporters will find it virtually impossible to hack into the police's new digital communication system, putting an end to the widespread illegal practice, the journalists' union says.
But it says the blocking of access to police radio calls, picked up by illegal scanners, will ultimately lead to better reporting as journalists will have to rely more on their skills and contacts.
The police's $540 million third-generation Command and Control Communications (CC3) system will be digitally encrypted to prevent eavesdropping - an offence carrying a maximum penalty of $50,000. Police will phase in the system from November.
'In the future it will take journalists with good sources to come up with juicier stories,' the Hong Kong Journalists' Association's vice-chairman, Tam Chi-keung, said.
'Gathering information will become a fight among talented journalists instead of a competition between company resources.