Helpful Eye In The Sky

QUOTE

Helpful eye in the sky
Feb 10 2006

By Julia Nason, Southport Visiter

A RECORD number of suspects have been arrested thanks to the Merseyside Police force helicopter.

New figures released by the Police Authority reveal that last year 448 people were locked up as a result of the efforts of the Air Support Unit (ASU) - a 19 per cent rise on the 375 arrests in 2004.

The team attended 4,998 incidents and spent more than 1,500 hours in the sky, making it the most used force helicopter in the country.

The ASU assisted in 39 incidents involving firearms, pursued 309 cars, searched for 406 missing persons and tracked 1,228 suspects. As a result of their efforts, £2,205,079 worth of property was also recovered.

As well as boosting the fight against crime, officers also transported two casualties to safety.

Last week they also helped saved the life of a man from North Wales who had received a potentially lethal bite from his pet Green Mamba snake. With the man's condition rapidly deteriorating, they collected the antidote from experts at Liverpool's School of Tropical Medicine and flew it to South Glamorgan. Thanks to the team's response, the man is now making a recovery.

Unit executive officer, Andy Adamson, said: "We are utilising intelligence to become more and more proactive rather then simply reacting to calls. We have received permission to spend more time in the air and as a result, the arrest figures are up. We have almost doubled the number of hours in the sky since 1997.

"People tell us they feel safer when they see the helicopter and obviously it does work as a deterrent against crime."

The team, regarded as the country's leading ASU, is also responsible for training officers from across the UK as air observers.

The unit has built up such a reputation that officers are now travelling from Europe to be trained. The ASU this week welcomed Miha Avbelj from Slovenia to the base in Woodvale.

SOURCE: Southport Visiter (ic sefton & west lancs)