Originally Posted by
SilsoeSid
Jay,
I find it interesting that despite there being c.300,000 people attending the Boat Races over their 4.2 mile course, that's over 71,000 people per mile, the third most highly attended sporting event worldwide, with all roads remaining open, ten days after the Westminster Bridge attack, with the national security level at 'Severe' ... on an incoming tide; you class a police helicopter over London as being "timewasting
In a word Silsoe....Noise.
Did the police helicopter prevent any crime test did not occur 30 years ago?
Over London,over football matches and over a benign sporting event such as the boat race.
Very expensive noise as well.
The boat race existed long before the Met or NPAS had helicopters.
I am sure it will be there when the helicopters have gone.
Balloon surveilance perhaps.
I love helicopters and waste stupid amounts of my money flying them.
However I object to a lot of time wasting sorties where social services and local PCSO teams should be the first line of response.
My only critics are those with a vested interest as crews on the NPAS service.
Like the train crews on Southern they cannot accept change.
The scaling back of NPAS has proved too much money has been wasted in the past on the wrong sort of policing.