Yeh , have to agree with just about everything Pan says there and my colleague in arms his lordship the mount . Max Chat does have a very good point regarding units sitting around waiting for a call . This does indeed happen and on occasion you can sit around for ten hours and not fly . But you cannot have it any other way really its a fine balance that is probably addressed as well as it can be. ASU's are normally small units , although Im sure the mets is significantly larger than my own which has only four observers. Yes they are four officers who could be out on the streets but again thats the line thats drawn .To have an effective asu you have to have it almost as a QRA there is not other way you can do it , unless it is purely re-active, ie GMP's Islander , note they do have a pro-active helo also . The point regarding plodding on the beat making one an ideal candidate , I would suggest is quite a good qualification . You are out on foot 8-10 hrs dealing with jobs ,withtout the aid of a fully equipped vehicle , it is up to you to deal with whatever you come across , you have to be resilient to put up with what at times is pure tedium resourseful and you cannot do it without a will-co attitude , at times its soul destroying, but at least you are out there . Not wishing to start a CSO slagging , I have never come across a more usless bunch of people in my life (I wont justify it I dont have the room and this is not a cso thread), senior police officers aside.
Come the revolution