Police Air Operators Manual
Avoid imitations
Join Date: Nov 2000
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As ex-mil (and trained to marksman standard many years ago), I once worked for a "civilian" unit flying helicopters. We had an SOP for a sniper to be carried and practiced for it using two aircraft, including at night using NVGs.
I was never keen on this idea. We had one shooter, with a weapon only capable of single aimed shots. The helis obviously presented a very large and obvious target. The hope was for our sniper to take out any number of bad guys who may well be behind solid cover with automatic weapons, including AK47.... It just depressed me to think about having to do it for real.
I was never keen on this idea. We had one shooter, with a weapon only capable of single aimed shots. The helis obviously presented a very large and obvious target. The hope was for our sniper to take out any number of bad guys who may well be behind solid cover with automatic weapons, including AK47.... It just depressed me to think about having to do it for real.
A Royal Marine Commando shot a boat's engine out in a drugs operation from a Lynx. This received alot of media, so I would be suprised if the Cops don't have that capability, However Police don't have the same level of training as CDO snipers.
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A Royal Marine Commando shot a boat's engine out in a drugs operation from a Lynx
so I would be suprised if the Cops don't have that capability
i guess the difference being, the a sniper from 45 will spend several hours a week honing his principles of marksmanship and keeping his skills up.
The police sniper, on the other hand will probably be a sniper only as part of their general firearms duties, which will consist mainly of dishing out producers and fixers, and swanning around other peoples nicks drinking tea from other peoples tea funds during pre-briefs on deployments, and generally making the place look untidy..
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Sniping from a helicopter over the sea at night, (assuming the baddies do not have any night sights) is a very different prospect from doing it in the orange glow of street lights in terms of the likelihood of anybody pointing a weapon back at you with any chance of getting close.
I wonder if you count the total number of times that a police sniper has ever fired his weapon in anger in the UK, whether you would need more than the fingers of one hand? I am only guessing, but I think this is the sort of capability which would be used so rarely in the civilian policing scenario that it is not worth the effort and expense of training for it.
PS - Sid, I like the sniper kitty, but I am worried that the blue star its leaning against would interfere with its marksmanship principles!
I wonder if you count the total number of times that a police sniper has ever fired his weapon in anger in the UK, whether you would need more than the fingers of one hand? I am only guessing, but I think this is the sort of capability which would be used so rarely in the civilian policing scenario that it is not worth the effort and expense of training for it.
PS - Sid, I like the sniper kitty, but I am worried that the blue star its leaning against would interfere with its marksmanship principles!
!
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In the USA there are law enforcement agencies that practice marksmanship from their aircraft on a regular basis. I can recall several pursuits that were brought to a successful conclusion by shots fired from the police helicopter. In one incident in the 80's a law enforcement agency actually shot down a drug runner who was swerving his aircraft at the police helicopter. This was in a very rural area. Present day, it's not unheard of for the US Coast Guard to fire from aircraft upon boats with drugs that fail to heave too.
Sniping for police aircraft is not something you use every day but there is nothing wrong with being prepared.
Sniping for police aircraft is not something you use every day but there is nothing wrong with being prepared.
