Buitenzorg(!): I'd say observation accounts for 10% of our work.
Mostly:
stolen vehicles / failing to stop / robberies / missing persons / all serious land/sea and air crashes / transporting specialists to anywhere in the 10,000 sq mile force area / aerial photography / public order / HEMS / convoy security / searches, etc etc.
Most of this requires us to stay airborne for some considerable time with more than one police officer on board.
Standto: as has been stated, single helos are dead in the water, now and forever...the CAA / JAA (EASA) will see to that
So your argument is purely theoretical from the outset.
You can please some of the people some of the time
