Gerry: Forgive me - I don't know anything about you, but can surmise that you are probably a cop and do not have any aviation (flying) background. What you have gleaned about aptitude is purely whilst on the job -yes?
Your coments are littered with inappropriate words, such as:
No visual cues???
natural ability.
flown with some pilots under assessment?
Assessed as NOt being competent or safe?
I know what the requirements are for a police pilot, I was one for 14 years. I was also an Instructor and have flown both types (FW and RW) in my 30+ years of committing aviation.
I'm not entirely sure this is a wind up (because of the lack of responses from current serving pilots) so apologies if I fall prey to someone's inate sense of humour.
1. natural ability in pilots in inordinately rare. In my lifetime I have come across a hand full of 'natural pilots'.
2. How have you been flying with: pilots under assessment / incompetent pilots / unsafe pilots during your time as an TFO?
ALL pilots who are qualified to fly helicopters (that includes FW pilots too) are easily capable of "waffling around at 1500'". ALL of them are capable of doing the job provided they have met the basic entry criteria. Don't even think otherwise.
You may have personally experienced some differences between one FW pilot and another, or one RW and another - but they are slight and innocuous.
You wouldn't be able to spot major flaws in their flying capabilities during police ops (in general) because the job of flying police helicopters at 'most' air bases is not in the least - demanding. It is simply taxi driving the cops to and from the job in hand. Some sites have very onerous tasking (mainly those stuck out in the hills) and they do work the spectrum of helo flying more expansively - and are appropriately better experienced at it.
But most police flying ESPECIALLY FW police work is monotonous and undemanding.
If you've had a bad experience with police pilots in the past - I would suggest it's more to do with the amount of moaning they have done rather than the amount of skill they display carrying out a mundane job.
Stick to cop stuff.
MightyGem: Since when? I have absolutely nothing to do with NPAS these days......you have me mixed up with......