The UK’s Merseyside Police Authority has announced that financial assistance will be made available for the purchase of a £2.9 million EC135 helicopter. Merseyside Police’s current leasing agreement runs out in June 2002 for its AS355 Twin Squirrel based at RAF Woodvale, Farmby.

Sergeant Simon Kelly of the air support group said: “We are a 24-hour operation and it’s going to

be more cost-effective for us to purchase rather than lease again. The EC135 is ideally suited to our geographic size and the working environment is far superior to the Squirrel, the technology will take us forward 10 years.”

McAlpine Helicopters will deliver the aircraft on June 1, 2002, which will be installed with all new equipment. Kelly explained: “We researched heavily before making the £2.9 million investment. The EC-135 is a popular helicopter for police forces in the UK alone – the North East, Strathclyde and North Wales forces all use it.”

Most of the helicopter’s work will be reactive, including suspect person searches, vehicle pursuits and missing persons.

Proactive service will commence if there is a crime problem in a particular area. The helicopter was originally introduced in 1988, in response to a number of ram raids around the South Liverpool area.