South Yorkshire Police helicopter MEGATHREAD (excl. sightings)

[Phanerothyme 12]

Originally posted by Nick[blarg]

Has anyone got a piccy of this new copper chopper? I've seen a white one flying around recently and just wondered if it was that one.

it looks something like this (only with G-SYPS registration and SYPS emblems

 

http://www.alea.org/pics/images/uk/sussex_exp.jpg

 

And I believe the model is actually the MD900

 

as there is no such thing as the MD 209 that I can find

[Mongoose 10]

aye thats the little beggar

[Geoff 10]

Originally posted by Phanerothyme

And I believe the model is actually the MD900 ... as there is no such thing as the MD 209 that I can find

Lol, well the police told me that model number, so you would have to ask them about it!

[jan2002 10]

I work quite near the base of our cities Police Helicopter

I see it passing over towards the City centre regulary

Twice in the past half an hour

 

Question to you is

 

Do you think the results justify the cost ?

 

I don't know the figure for either but perhaps you folks might,

and I would be interested in your opinion:thumbsup:

[mr.blaze 10]

I heard somewhere that the Police Helicopter combats 99% of Car Crime in Sheffield. If that's true then I'd say it was worth the money. Even though it is annoying buzzing about all day.

[smedley 10]

Plus Magnum's mate had one... And look at all the crime he solved.

[HarrietStar 10]

i think 'traffic cops' shows the impact the helicopter has

[alexdave67 10]

Why not give them a fighter plane with heat seaking missiles, that would be a lot more effective than stingers!

[smedley 10]

Why not build a huge mousetrap, and load it up with Burberry Caps and blocks of dope instead of cheese? That'd get rid of most of the undesirables.

[Strix 11]

Every time Mr Strix takes the dog for a walk they seem to tail him. They've obviously heard there's scousers about!

 

My mate thought she lived in a really bad area 'coz she saw the helicopter fly over her house so often. She lives in Handsworth. Everytime it gets airborne she can see it!

[alexdave67 10]

Originally posted by Strix

Every time Mr Strix takes the dog for a walk they seem to tail him. They've obviously heard there's scousers about!

 

My mate thought she lived in a really bad area 'coz she saw the helicopter fly over her house so often. She lives in Handsworth. Everytime it gets airborne she can see it!

 

She doesn't live in a bad area but YOU DO!

 

Woodhouse, isn't that where all the Gypsy's have been re-housed? The Badger estate!

[cloud 10]

The original question was, do the results justify the cost?

 

The biggest outlay is for the craft itself, which is already paid for. It costs very little to fly it. Therefore it would be a bigger waste if it was bought and never used. This then raises the question, should we have a helicopter at all. The value in terms of high speed chases has already been touched upon. In terms of public safety, it is better to have the helicopter keeping track of a bandit vehicle, and directing ground patrols, than having numerous police cars having to drive fast in residential areas.

 

But it is not just car chases where the helicopter comes into its own. For example, at 3 am when a house has just been burgled and ground patrols are in the area, it is a great help to have an eye in the sky which can use thermal imaging to find the burglar hiding in bushes or under a car etc.

 

It has also been used to find missing persons who have fallen in remote areas. In terms of catching criminals and saving lives, I would say that the helicopter has more than paid for itself. Yes, it is annoying to hear it buzzing overhead, but also reassuring to know that if a dangerous or nasty piece of work is hiding nearby, the police have the balance in their favour to catch the b******.