Chopjock
Ah,so there's the answer! A little knowlege is a very dangerous thing! quote "Ive flown as P1 in a single at night over many cities"
Then you must have been doing it as a volunteer, because no proffessional Pilot would have done that, not at the height and in the conditions that we are required to operate at. Thats the difference!
Police Air Support in the UK has to operate 24/7 365 days a year, in all weathers. Our job is the prevention and detection crime and the protection of life and property. Not swanning about for the sheer hell of it.
What we have now, is the result of a constant desire over the past 25 years to provide the best service we could. We did, and it worked! Serious crime was really hampered. Many Police Officers on the street were saved from serious injury because of the presence of the heli above recording everything.
For once it was the criminals turn to be on the defensive, - to be scared.
Now because we have been largely successful the bean counter says " Job Done, lets dismantle it all now, and spend the money elsewhere" Don't they understand that as soon as the criminal realises that we have gone away or are so far away as to be always too late, that its going to be free pickings for all?
One of the first things that I learned as a young bobby on the street was
"Never be kind to criminals, - to them kindness is weakness and weakness is to be exploited" Now we are going to be kind to them all over again. Freedom to steal cars, freedom to mug and freedom to start up ram raiding again.
Why did we bother to stop them in the first place? Chopjock and his mates want to save money, to keep it in their pocket. Until the time comes when their car is stolen or they get mugged. Might be a different storey then!
There is only one way to safe aviation and that is the right way. No cutting of corners.
Tigerfish
Tired, fed up and totally demoralised that people can be of so short memories.