Kate Sarsfield/London
Environmental and safety issues have led to a rise in sales of "new generation" twins, like the EC135
As Europe grapples with the political and cultural ramifications of unification, free market, single currency and open borders, a less savoury result of the dramatic changes under way requires a new look at law enforcement and, in particular, police air support.
"Now the borders have been abolished there is likely to be an increase in international crime. This could have an impact on policing throughout the region," says police aviation expert Brin Elliott.
Police aviation within Europe has evolved from a fledgling concern to an increasingly major market for aircraft.
Although some countries have yet to wake up to the benefits of these machines for law enforcement operations, most European nations operate growing fleets of helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.
Europe now plays host to around 400 helicopters used in police, emergency medical services, search and rescue and border control operations. Many countries are replacing older models, namely the Eurocopter BO105, AS330 Puma and AS355 Ecureil, with new-generation machines. "As helicopters are used more and more, operators are having to respond to public demand for environmentally sound aircraft," adds Elliott.
Manufacturers, keen to fill this niche, have introduced new aircraft to stimulate their orderbooks and raise the industry's profile. "This is a potentially huge market for us," says John Osmond, marketing manager for Eurocopter's UK distributor, McAlpine Helicopters, which recently delivered its first Eurocopter EC135 to the UK's Central Counties police force.
The EC135 joins a growing number of new generation twins competing for a slice of the police aviation market, including MD Helicopters' MD902 Explorer and the Agusta A109 Power. Bell and Eurocopter also plan to carve off a lucrative chunk with their respective Model 427and EC145 twins, which are scheduled to enter service over the next two years.
The German Border Guard has recently ordered a "substantial " number of EC155 and EC135 twins to replace its ageing fleet of BO105s, Pumas and Bell UH-1 Hueys.
The French Gendarmerie has also ordered an undisclosed number of EC145s and has acquired several Eurocopter/Kawasaki BK-117s. The Belgian Gendarmerie acquired two Explorers this year and has options for two MD520s.
"The key issues now are of safety and noise, and more forces are moving towards twin-engined helicopters which will have little impact on their environments," says Ian Payne, marketing manager for Police Aviation Services (PAS) at the UK's Gloucester Airport.
PAS, which operates the "largest air emergency services unit in the UK", has taken delivery of three out of the four Explorers that it has on order. "Police air support is no longer unique. It has become an integral part of the policing process in Europe. If people are not convinced now, they never will be," he adds.
The UK has blazed the trail in police aviation for Europe and is regarded by many forces and operators alike as a model for the industry.
Within the UK, there are about 25 air support units attached to their respective regional police forces and about nine independent contractors. All UK-operated aircraft are twin-engined and piloted by civilians.
"It is a civilian operation run by the police forces. Although it is funded partly [51%] by the government, the aircraft are used solely for policing purposes like the pursuit of criminals," says Elliott.
Most national police aviation forces in mainland Europe are controlled by the military - only regional units operate under civilian rules. All aircraft are piloted by the police or military personnel - sectors in which the approach to policing differs both culturally and operationally. "We [in the UK] consider that police services are there to protect the public, but the approach to policing varies greatly across Europe," says Peter Lord of the UK's Derbyshire Police.
The state-controlled German Border Guard operates more than 100 helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, which are used for external border control, search and rescue and for emergency medical services duties. The 15 regional county air units operate a combined fleet of around 40 more aircraft.
Military Services
France's National Police force, which has no dedicated aircraft, uses the services of the military-run Gendarmerie and Sécurité Civile, which have a fleet of nearly 100 aircraft.
Italy's para-military police force, the Carabinieri, operates 40 helicopters, while the regional police force (Polizia di Stato) operates 40 helicopters and 12 fixed-wing aircraft.
Police forces in the Netherlands and Belgium, which operate a combined total of about 14 helicopters and 10 fixed wing aircraft, are moving closer to the UK model in switching from military to civilian operations. The two countries are also replacing their single-engined helicopters with what they term "more reliable" twins. Most recently, the Belgian police took delivery of an Explorer.
"Air support is quite different across Europe, which makes cross-border policing very difficult," says the Dutch Police Aviation manager Evan Den Brink. He adds that although certain nations co-operate well with each other, cultural and territorial differences sometimes hamper relations. Den Brink says that the time is right for European police forces to form closer ties. "Borders are disappearing and it is becoming easier to travel between countries without any restrictions. As little as five years ago, this was not possible," he adds.
Last June a new association, dubbed the Police Air Support Networking Centre Europe (known as PACE), was set up by European air support units to exchange knowledge, ideas and information, and to develop a greater understanding of how respective police air support units work. PACE has 22 members, consisting mainly of UK-based aviation units.
"We are trying to recruit as many European forces as we can at this stage to strengthen our position within the industry," says Herman Baeiens, the Belgian president of PACE. The association is aware that legislation must be co-ordinated throughout the continent to assist in air support operations.
Two key agreements have been introduced by the European Union (EU) in the past six years to assist with cross-border policing. The Maastricht Treaty on the EU aims to improve police and judicial co-operation and to harmonise police methodology throughout the continent. The Shengen Agreement, adopted by most EU countries in 1994, was designed to remove frontiers and increase harmonisation between the nations. "Shengen has helped the situation to some extent, but the agreement is only voluntary and the UK has not adopted it, fearing the possible consequences that open borders could bring," says Baeiens.
Evidence Gathering
Derbyshire Police's Lord claims that the agreements have had little effect on policing between nations. "Shengen is strict and well defined," he says. "On the face of it, Shengen deals with trading in nuclear matters, organised crime and fraud committed against EU institutions, but what happens with a cross-border pursuit across Holland, France and Germany? Then the issues of evidence gathering [between these countries] becomes more complex. What may be considered an offence in a particular state may not be regarded so in another."
Lord believes that the only way to resolve the situation is to harmonise all aspects of criminal law and to treat Europe as a single state. But he claims that such a move would not receive widespread acceptance, especially from the UK with its well-known Europhobia.
Dutch Police Aviation's Den Brink believes that air regulations also must be harmonised across the regions to ensure smooth cross-border operation. "The Dutch police can fly unrestricted visual flight rules (VFR) operations at night. However, the Belgian police can only fly VFR at night in uncontrolled airspace. Having to go from one set of rules to another is confusing," he says.
There are calls for the European police force Europol, an intelligence-gathering service, to be given an operational role, including a dedicated federal air support unit, which is expected to eliminate many problems associated with cross-border policing. "The constitutional framework is in place for this to happen and it is only a matter of time before it does," adds Lord.
PACE's Baeiens concedes, however, that such an operation will be expensive to set up and sustain. "Air support units are very expensive to run. We are constantly reminded that our operations have to be cost effective, and the Europol set-up will be no different," he says.
The prospect of cross-border procurement also raises concerns. European police forces operate different models of single and twin-engined aircraft, each equipped for specific operations. "There is a need to recognise what aspects of equipment are essential for operating in a police role," says Lord.
The UK has taken the lead on role-equipped police aircraft, equipping most of its machines with thermal imagers, tracking devices, nose-mounted television cameras, public address systems and searchlights, as standard. Police aviation expert Brin Elliott believes that European air support units will have to adopt the UK model if Europe is to standardise its operations throughout the continent.
"European forces are likely to raise their standards in line with the UK. They are realising that to improve efficiency, the aircraft have to be equipped for specific roles," he says.
Because European police aviation is culturally and operationally diverse, experts are united in a belief that harmonisation is a long way off.
"We will probably see it in about 15 to 20 years and only when we have political and economic stability on the continent," says Lord.
Source: Flight International
