Dear Regain,
The last definition I saw for a Police Officer went something along these lines...A Constable is a citizen locally appointed whose duties are the prevention and detection of crime and the prosecution of offenders against the peace . No mention of helicopters and the like. The much denigrated civilian observer seems to me a much better idea as he can commit long term to the position and upgrade continually as technology advances in a seemless manner rather than learning the job from scratch as he is posted in and out of the unit.
Yes I would civilianise all posts who do not use their Police powers on a regular and continual basis. After all why train Police Officers to be Police Officers when they are not Policing on the front line and making a difference for us taxpayers.