Paarmo, I spent thirty years in the police, albeit in a different jurisdiction. I cannot think of a single instance where I would have chosen "freshly-trained but without experience" over "experience", either as a constable (in your ranks) looking for back-up or as a Sergeant detailing people to get the job done.

Would we take a freshly trained Air Traffic controller and let him/her loose in London Control, or take a CPL out of flight school and thrust upon them the full responsibilities of AOC work?

Hmm, didn't think so. But why not - it's that funny little thing called "experience"again, isn't it?

paarmo

You're wrong.

I suspect Paarmo isn't bothered whether anyone agrees with him, I think he has achieved what he wanted..

Didnt we go round this buoy once before.........?

You spend 2 years being trained in your Probation. 4/5 years doing the job gaining " experience " and then join the air support unit. You attend a short training course and then join the flight crews as a junior member to gain "experience ". After 4/6 months you are considered " experienced ", You spend another 18 months on the crew and return to normal duties. Replaced by another " INEXPERIENCED " trainee. Seems to me that experience in aircrew observing is gained by work experience. Wouldn't it be better to employ someone whose whole working life was dedicated to gaining experience in the job rather than chopping and changing all the time.
Yes it probably would be cheaper as the observers would not be paid a Police Officers rate for obvious reasons but the experience contained within the unit would be invaluable rather than chopping and changing all the time. As an aside , how many civilians do you employ in the iniquitous central control rooms nowadays.I know some are crap, but there again so are some Police Officers.

:mad: Its quite obvious that paarmo has no clue what he is talking about, or hes a civvie that cant get a decent job cause there all taken by experienced police officers.
A police force does not save money by employing civvy observers. If it did there would be loads.
Would you really put the least experienced basically trained person in a police forces most expensive asset. Answer......only if you were a boss who ain't got a bl**dy clue what an airsupport unit does.

Does that help you paarmo (sir)

Paarmo, sorry mate but more tosh. When qualified the guys and girls will stay on Air support for quite a few years, they will only go back to core Policing when they want or if some bright spark decides to civilianise the Units...

Your address says Teeside, give their Air support a call I'm sure they could put you right on your concerns.

By that logic, Paarmo, then nobody would ever, nor should ever, move out of any position within the police. No transfers into Traffic Branch, Detective Branch, Drugs, Crime Ordinary, Fraud, Community Policing - pick you area - or back. Perhaps even promotion would be disallowed, too be experienced to be allowed to advance?

Hardly!!

Anyway, you've had your sport and risen a few bites, now go away!

Quick question lads. What is the average amount of experience or hours that a "new guy" entering the ranks of a police aviation unit in the UK need to have? Is it like many of the US aviation units where you need just the bare bones commercial cert?

Paarmo, you have some very strong opinions. It's a shame that they are obviously made from a position of ignorance.

If we are going with your theory, why have military pilots in the Forces. 99% will never come into contact with the enemy so why not have civvies flying the 146's, C-17's, Seakings etc. There's no need for these pilots to be military is there?

Why have you got to be a soldier to fly an Apache, oh, may be it's because you have done your bit at the sharp end so are able to offer a better service to those on the front line now.

:rolleyes:

I hear he's a very nice chap ;)

What can I say, other than "Watch this space" - only 6 days left to apply.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d1.../Coconutty.jpg

Average hours would be 1500-2000 hours with about 500 Twin, quite often the requirements are a lot higher.

errrr... where'd you get that from?

Darren, unlike in the US, all Police pilots over here in the UK are civilians. The minimum experience required is much as the previous post says, although some units ask for more.

Cheers lads, I always thought that police aviation operations would benefit more from an experienced pilot non-police officer type than the experienced police officer with 200 hours under his belt. Probably the best of all would be an experienced officer with lots of flight time, but I'm sure they're few and far between.

Not really much to do with this topic though, sorry for the hijack!:ok:

Droopy,

Why do you think that most Police pilots are ex-forces?

Ex-forces, with appropriate experience, because that experience brings with it a significant likelyhood of safer operations in what, to most civvies, is an alien environment - that's not to say that all civvie pilots are no good, as a number have stepped up to the plate in recent years.

There's a separate issue, which goes with the debate started by this thread, that of the ex-police DUEO salary relfecting a pension. Pilot pay has, sadly & for many years, reflected the fact that most of the ex-military pilots are in receipt of a pension - somewhat grating to those who haven't!!:*

Epiphany, I didn't say anything about police pilots being ex forces [though in the UK about 75% are]. I was commenting on the unusually high figure of 500hrs night.

Ahh apologies Droopy - I though that you were asking where pilots get 500 night hours from.

I think it's 500 hours TWIN not NIGHT. **** me you would have to be a vampire to have that!