Fortyodd,
Thanks, what I'm trying to convey to those outside the UK police flying environment who are asking questions in this thread, is the often conflicting considerations that the crew has to take during the shift due to the nature of the service and at times the limited infrastructure to carry out the task in a money restricted era. As you know more than most, what appears a simple, why don't they just do 'A' is too often blocked by all the other considerations outside the task in hand.
14 years ago I was asking if it was possible for all county police HQs that didn't have an asu to have a cloudbase recorder on the roof and a drum stock of fuel and pump, to my simple mind a low cost but comprehensive safety net. Not a chance was the answer, and that hasn't changed much (though KENT was an exception with the excellent facility at Rochester).