Whitehead06, I am not sure how much military internal security experience you have, ie NI, but neither seakings nor pumas were used for the everyday work over Belfast and the like. Gazelles and Lynx were the order of the day and we had FLIR, day/night tv, secure comms with the police on the ground and a good idea of what we were doing some years before the civilian bobbies cottoned on to this air support thing. In fact I remember being called upon by a constabulary on mainland UK to give airborne surveillance with a police officer on board in a lynx during an armed hostage. The Army certainly did have a handle on what was needed and provided it. And of course the military procurement system, although not perfect by any means, was able to purchase in larger numbers and there by achieving savings that individual purchases would not. This is where the police across the UK could learn a lesson as has been demonstrated by the 6 or so who bought EC 135P2+ aircraft at a great saving.
Experience of pre air support,
- local air support, needed joining up - regional air support, getting there - national air support, inevitable.
It just needs to be for the right reasons and done in the right way. We will have to wait and see. I suspect Mr Marshall will be drawing his considerable pension, and an OBE, by then though.