You're all missing the bigger picture. The helicopter operation comes out of the police annual budget.
In the case of the boat in Norwich I would imagine the whole operation cost much more than the value of the damage to the boat which the insurance company will sort out.
TWOC chases always cost more than the value of the vehicle. They often are the catalyst for someone having a serious accident.
The problem with having a helicopter operation is having to justify the cost. If it sits with the crew for days doing nothing management will worry it will be taken away.
Given all the airtime on various police camera action footage I see the same old waste of public money.
Most of the time it's Groundhog day with very rare occasions where the cost/result can be justified.
Like the rest of the public I want to see more plods on the beat instead of offices or toys.
We need one UK police force with more coppers and less management.