Immobilisers are making car crime worse? I can't believe I have just read that.
Whoateallthe pies tells us that Police Officers on the ground like to talk to Police Officers in the air. A spurious argument as they were probably sent to the job in the first place by a civilian in the Control Room and as it is a disciplined service you get told to talk to whoever is in the best position to see what is happening whether you like talking to that person or not.
Therealpieboy increases the wages of the civilian air observer but fails to mention that any new civilian staff can be employed on whatever wages and conditions are deemed correct for the post.Unlike Police Officers whose wages are centrally negotiated. It may be in more prosperous times that the wages being offered are more than a Police Officer's but that is the market force and was not the question in the first place.
It boils down to the fact that there is no reason why a suitably qualified civilian cannot be employed as an air observer , gain experience alongside an experienced crew and then continue to do the job until his pension. ( a lot less than a Police pension )
If you want him to land and arrest people you could make him a Special who has more powers than these "Mickey Mouse" uniform carriers I see wandering about holding hands and chatting to each other as if they are on a walk to church.
Can't remember who said it but no I have never been frightened by an air observer , in fact only one person has ever frightened me at all and he is now in a secure hospital and will continue to be there until he is at least 75. Neither have I been turned down as an air observer. I have only ever been turned down for one job in my life and I still get my revenge by making sure I park my shopping trolley as far away from the shop on the car park as possible.