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<p>Regulators have raided nearly 400 suspected pirate radio setups in London over the last two years, the <a href="http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/four-hundred-pirate-radio-stations-shut-down-in-london-in-just-two-years-10362974.html">Standard</a> can reveal.</p>
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<p>Figures released by Ofcom in response to a Freedom of Information
request show nearly a quarter of the raids took place in Haringey, north
London, while 90 resulted in equipment being seized.</p><p>Lambeth,
south London, was the next biggest offender, with more than 50 raids on
suspected pirates between April 2013 and March this year.</p><p>The
communications regulator says internet radio and the introduction of
community broadcasting licences have taken away some of the incentive
for pirates to broadcast.</p><p>But pirate stations remain a problem because they can interfere with vital comms channels used by the emergency services.</p><p>"It's not about raising revenue," Clive Corrie, Ofcom's head of
spectrum enforcement, told the Standard. "It's about protecting the
spectrum from harmful interference.</p><p>"Last year Ofcom received 53
complaints of interference to aviation services - ground-to-air radio
location and radio navigation systems."</p><p>Of the 53 complaints, 48 related to the London area.</p><p>Mr Corrie added the problem was largely confined to the capital, though the reason for this has experts at something of a loss.</p><p>"It's
a big problem, especially in London," he said. "There are about 70
active stations in the London area. In the whole of the UK we've got
something like just over 100.</p><p>"From the enquiries we've carried out, this problem doesn't exist in New York or Rome or Paris - it's a London phenomenon."</p><p>The true figures are likely to be even higher - councils don't have to tell Ofcom when they raid pirate radio setups.</p><p>Hackney
Council revealed last month it had dismantled 29 masts and transmitters
being used by pirate broadcasters in 12 months - only five of which are
recorded in the FOI disclosure given to the Standard.</p><p>Aviation
doesn't use the same bandwidth as FM radio but because the home-made
transmitters are typically a dozen times stronger than community radio
equipment - sometimes up to 300 Watts - and are often poorly installed,
they can inadvertently take over higher frequencies.</p><p>Corrie added
pirates typically chose tower blocks on high ground, and often hide
equipment in lift shafts and air vents - not just to stop authorities
from getting to it, but also to protect it from other pirate groups.
"It's a bit of a Wild West situation," he said.</p><p>Among the council raids in Hackney this year was one on the Summit Estate, Upper Clapton.</p><p>Hackney's
housing chief Cllr Philip Glanville said: "Surprisingly, this type of
activity is still quite common, and can have an impact on the lives of
our residents."</p><p>Three years ago, the Army inadvertently raided an illegal dance music station in north-east London.</p><p>Soldiers
stumbled upon a group of "young men" broadcasting from Highfield Towers
in Collier Row as they set up surveillance equipment ahead of the
Olympics.</p><br></div>Source: <a href="http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/four-hundred-pirate-radio-stations-shut-down-in-london-in-just-two-years-10362974.html">http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/four-hundred-pirate-radio-stations-shut-down-in-london-in-just-two-years-10362974.html</a><br><br>\\<br><br clear="all"><div><div><div class="gmail_signature">Community Media Association<br>-- <br><a href="http://www.commedia.org.uk/" target="_blank">http://www.commedia.org.uk/</a><br><a href="http://twitter.com/community_media" target="_blank">http://twitter.com/community_media</a><br><a href="https://www.facebook.com/CommunityMediaAssociation" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/CommunityMediaAssociation</a><br><br>Canstream Internet Radio & Video<br><a href="http://www.canstream.co.uk/" target="_blank">http://www.canstream.co.uk/</a><br><a href="https://twitter.com/canstream" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/canstream</a></div></div>
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