Standto: If the annual flying budget is worked properly there would not be the need for overbudget situations. On occasions where the operations dept (aka air support) is extended to provide cover for a national or in depth incident, then either another department pays for the privilige or the C.C coughs up and bites the bullet! That is the case in this force, and (in discussion) with other forces.
You do your service a great injustice if you genuinly believe they have done little or no research on a/c types in the past. Huge amounts of time and energy have been expended nation wide by government offices (H.O. / PITO / PSDB) let alone by individual forces regarding the equipping of an air support unit. Do you think one of them decided one day to buy a twin, and then e-mailed everyone else to do the same.
You guys (the police) are known for re-inventing the wheel! Everytime one force does one thing, their neighbour ignores everything they've come up with and does thier own research. Funny then how 43 out of the 52 forces have light twin helos, eh??
You may have worked
with or
under an ASU but the bottom line is: you have never been a police observer , so you cannot fully understand how they function, or you certainly wouldn't be mentioning gyro's for police work
UK police air support is alive and kicking in its present form thanks to a very rapid (by US standards) transition through a 'live and learn' culture by switched on successive UEO's. Don't begrudge them all their efforts, please.