WHY 'EYE IN THE SKY' POLICE HELICOPTER IS SO FEARED BY THE CRIMINAL

SOME folk in the great cities of Britain could argue that the sleepy
backwater of Devon and Cornwall needs little more than a Panda car and
a Bakelite telephone.

And yet, in 1979 the Devon and Cornwall force was the first in the UK
to use a helicopter. Its subsequent incarnations have stayed at the
cutting edge of technology with its latest, the Eurocopter EC145
twin-engine yellow and blue chopper, considered to be the world's most
advanced police helicopter.

Housing military-level equipment, it boasts the StarSAFIRE HD camera,
a thermal imaging camera, video downlink to ground monitor, night
vision goggles and a 30 to 40 million candle-power searchlight. It
also has space for a stretcher, first aid kit, defibrillator, oxygen =AD
as well as the usual cuffs, baton and Pava spray which ground-based
officers carry. In addition, it's also taken on board dog handlers and
their dogs, armed response officers, search teams, dive teams, the
neighbouring Air Ambulance paramedics and doctors, and =AD on occasion =AD
bodies.

The EC145 has a pilot and two police officer air observers. Today it's
Pc Joe Mathews and Pc Rob Caught, while the night shift will be just
Pc Adrian Taylor.

How effective is a police helicopter? The answer is found pinned to
the wall in their office, which sits yards from the landing pad at the
force's Middlemoor headquarters in Exeter.

It shows the burnt-out remains of the West Midlands police helicopter,
torched by a career crook who traversed countryside on trials bikes to
get to the chopper. Pc Mathews, who worked as a patrol officer in
Torbay before becoming an observer, reveals that a number of other
police choppers have been targeted in recent years, because criminals
fear their abilities.

A brief guided tour reveals the stunning array of devices which helps
the 'eye in the sky' cops search, trace, track, watch, pinpoint, chase
and rescue the good, the bad and the unfortunate.

But it is only when you see them at work in the air that you realise
the remarkable and clear benefit of the chopper, which uses the
call-sign Oscar 99 when at work.

From their vantage point, a police observer can search a square mile
in 12 minutes. By comparison, it takes 454 man hours by officers on
foot to cover the same ground =AD longer if you include rough terrain,
cliff-faces or city roofs.

Considering Devon and Cornwall police has the largest geographical
force area in the country =AD it could swallow the Metropolitan, West
Midlands, Greater Manchester, Cleveland and Merseyside forces with
ease =AD and the longest coastline, the need for a fast-moving and
far-reaching police vehicle is obvious.

Though based primarily in Exeter, it has satellite bases at Plymouth
airport, Camborne traffic centre, RNAS Culdrose, RMB Chivenor and RAF
St Mawgan. The force chopper doubles up with the Devon Air Ambulance
to assist with casualties and works alongside forces in Wiltshire,
Dorset and other western counties when needed.

The infra-red camera works both day and night, and can track heat
signatures of hidden crooks, or unconscious members of the public.

While Pc Caught, an ex-City of London officer, sits up front and
operates the camera, Pc Mathews is in the back checking the dual
screen. While one shows what the different cameras see, the other
pinpoints the helicopter on a detailed map, ensuring the observers can
help direct ground officers to the exact location, by grid reference,
street name or landmark.

This is particularly useful when tracking suspects in the
dark.

The crew's helmets can even attach night-vision goggles to assist
night searches.

"We were the first force to use them," reveals Pc Caught, "and the
only force in the UK which can use them to land.

"When we're working with the ambulance service at night, we can land
them in a rural field if they need to get to an injured farmer.

"We can pick out a lighter in a forest. Frankly, I don't know how
forces work without them."

The "night sun" searchlight can assist ground officers by lighting up
a large or small area, assisting with searches or major incidents such
as road crashes.

In addition, it can be linked to the thermal camera so the sudden
burst of light can be locked onto a target before the on switch is
flicked.

Pc Caught says its effect is "a great show of strength" which has
caused more than a few fleeing crooks to give themselves up. Pc
Mathews also points out how the helicopter also has a suppressive
effect. Crooks who attempt to hide can hear it above and it can
psychologically pin them to a spot, rather than breaking cover.

At =A3550 per flying hour, the team has to make good use of their time
in the sky. While they are up the observers proactively look for work,
calling on the different policing areas they're passing through to
shout out if they have any jobs which could benefit from the
helicopter's presence. In addition, they always have a long list of
non-urgent tasks to be completed, such as taking detailed photos of
scenes of crimes to show courts the layouts of property, to thermal
checks of suspect cannabis farms across the South West. A "hot" house,
where marijuana plants are grown under intense lights, literally glows
on the camera.

Even road smashes can need photographing from an aerial vantage point,
especially for traffic investigation units or coroner's court.

Everything seen on the screens can be recorded onto digital cards for
court cases or training. At one stage we're hovering hundreds of feet
above a football pitch. The players appear like ants through the
window, but on the thermal camera, each player is clear and distinct.

"A massive majority of our work is about life saving," notes Pc
Mathews. "Missing person work, at-risk people who have wandered off or
who are suicidal. That's what makes it rewarding for us. It's not just
about doing crime each day. We take on every aspect of policing =AD the
crime investigation, catching criminals, working with paramedics and
helping other agencies like the coastguard, fishery protection or air
traffic control. We can be a tactical command unit from the air,
passing key information back and forth to other police officers, fire
crews, the military, medics, everyone. You can't beat it."

Everything seen on screen can be recorded to a digital card for
potential court cases or training. Footage from the recent Argyle v
Exeter City match is an example, showing how the helicopter
highlighted groups of Argyle fans who lay in wait for Exeter coaches,
and who were then cleared away by ground officers.

The worth of the helicopter really shows during the night shift, as Pc
Taylor quickly highlights.

Within minutes of taking off ,we're over the moors and the
night-vision goggles easily pick up a small campfire which is
invisible to the naked eye. The thermal image camera picks up the body
heat of a nearby camper, which the connected map shows by grid
reference. If this person was truly missing, a mountain rescue team
would have to search for hours in the dark to achieve the same result.

By Ivybridge we're looking at a supermarket car park where Pc Taylor
points out the rows of cars and spaces.

To the naked eye, there's nothing special, but the thermal camera can
note the echo of a hot spot left behind by cars which have just left,
as well as which cars are still hot after parking up.

By Cattedown we're asked to check on a van being driven off
suspiciously from an industrial unit. While patrol units are
co-ordinated towards the van by Pc Taylor using the combination of the
thermal image camera and map, he can pick up the heat signatures of
the passenger and driver as well as officers on foot to ensure they
all meet up.

As it turns out, it's the van owner's son taking it out, but the speed
of the stop check was impressive, and its effectiveness undeniable.

Heading out towards the South Hams, Pc Taylor notes how the
helicopter's array of cameras and observers have "found many, many
people, both good and bad".

"We've got five zoom levels on the camera =AD we've found missing people
from five miles away, people running from cars, from 20,000 feet up.

"We can search areas like Dawlish Warren at night in minutes rather
than hours, and we can do it safely.

"The manpower needed to search or contain areas like Dartmoor is
massive.

"What would take 20 or 30 officers hours can be done by us in seconds.
We can work and communicate with coastguards, ambulance, the fire
service, our control centre and individual police radios and record
the footage for court cases or investigations.

"But we also have our kit on board =AD cuffs, spray, body armour, same
as any other officer."

The same as any other officer =AD but without question, the best vehicle
with the best view, even at night.