STORY:
British and Canadian police prepare for Y2K

Both the Canadian and British task forces have set aside special armed forces to deal with an expected crime-wave at the end of this year when the millennium computer bug is likely to disrupt many security mechanisms.

Police of the National Crime Squad will be denied all leave during the new year period during which experts predict widespread failure of security systems protecting banks, shops and private houses.

The NCS also expects many houses vacated on the night of December 31 to be visited by burglars.

Of 43 regional units of police in England and Wales, 35 have cancelled all leave for the period.

The cost of this surveillance in overtime and special operations, including mobilising army helicopters to fly police reinforcements in the event of an emergency, is put at 58 million pounds (95.7 million dollars) the paper said.

Computers designed to read the date using only the last two digits in the year will be unable to distinguish 2000 from 1900 and may shut down when at midnight on December 31, their dating mechanism shifts to 00.

Source: Agence France Presse

DATE: 1/19/99

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