A POLICE force is to become the first in the world to trial a James Bond type radio.

The revolutionary hand held set includes a global positioning system )GPS) which gives the location of an officer at any time, cutting out interference from high buildings, trees and covered walkways. And an officer can summon help without saying a single word.

The pioneering radios are being developed by Sepura a leading supplier of police radios.

Mr Ian Lund, project manager with Cleveland Police, said: "This radio will bring two significant benefits. When an officer's personal safety is under threat we will be able to quickly locate them and send help, and knowing exactly where our staff are will ensure the force can better respond to incidents by deploying personnel closest to the crime scene.''

He added: "A number of officers and staff will be testing the radio initially throughout Teesside and in coming months we expect those numbers to increase significantly.''