A NEW £1.5m system will allow Lancashire Police computers to communicate through microwaves -- and senior management have pledged it will be safe.

The force is set to introduce the new structure over the next two years in a bid to increase the capacity of their IT network and improve security.

The system will hold all Lancashire Police's databases which give access to information such as crimes, intelligence operations and custody records.

Computers will be connected with the use of microwave beams rather than traditional landlines.

The recent introduction of the Airwave or Tetra radio system, which uses radioactive signals similar to mobile phones, caused concerns about officers' safety and effects on sensitive equipment, such as hospital scanners.

But police bosses have stressed that the new computer system, which will use radioactive microwave signals emitted from radio masts already owned by the force, will not pose a danger.

Lancashire Constabulary's corporate services director David Brindle said: "Microwave has, for a variety of reasons, become an issue which public concern.

"While much of that debate has centered on the use of mobile phones, introducing microwave links across the county has the potential to raise general concerns about their use.

"Mobile phones, including the constabulary's Tetra radios, typically transmit at around one watt. The microwave links contained in this proposal operate at much lower levels, typically 500 milliwatts and below.

"They are highly directional and pose a lower exposure level than the use of mobile phones. As far as we are concerned, health is not an issue."

Steve Edwards, chairman of the Lancashire Police Federation, gave a cautious welcome to the upgrade.

He said: "We are led to believe that this system does not emit as much radiation as a microwave oven and, if that is so, then the upgrade should enhance the performance of our computers without putting our members at risk."

The security of police data is another issue which will be addressed by the upgrade. Presently information travelling between buildings is in the public domain and could be accessed.

Although police stressed that they were not aware of any instances where police data has been compromised, the new system will make data almost impossible to intercept.

Specialist equipment would be needed to both receive and interpret signals transmitted by the microwave system. The contract for work on the network upgrade will be put out to tender in the near future.

The Airwave radio system, which has already been introduced in Central and Pennine divisions, is set to go live in Eastern division later this summer.