The Star: March 26, 2020
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<strong>The</strong> <strong>Star</strong> Thursday <strong>March</strong> <strong>26</strong> <strong>2020</strong><br />
6<br />
NEWS<br />
THE FIVE-WEEK police Eagle<br />
helicopter trial in Christchurch<br />
comes to an end – but has it<br />
made us safer?<br />
With the completion of the<br />
trial on Friday, police say the Eagle<br />
and the staff who work with<br />
it will return to Auckland. As for<br />
its future in Christchurch – that<br />
is still undecided.<br />
“<strong>The</strong>re<br />
will be a full<br />
evaluation,<br />
which will be<br />
considered<br />
by police on<br />
the potential<br />
for any future<br />
expanded<br />
deployment,”<br />
said Superintendent John<br />
Price, District Commander<br />
Canterbury.<br />
<strong>The</strong> evaluation is still underway<br />
and there are no immediate<br />
plans for the Eagle helicopter to<br />
return. However, a police spokeswoman<br />
said the public will notice<br />
an increased police presence<br />
during the lockdown period.<br />
An online survey, conducted<br />
by Christchurch Central MP<br />
Duncan Webb and completed by<br />
more than 1400 people, showed<br />
a high level of support for the<br />
Eagle helicopter. It found 53 per<br />
cent of respondents thought it<br />
was reassuring and 21 per cent<br />
were glad it was patrolling the<br />
city. Fifty-two per cent said the<br />
helicopter was “an essential<br />
part of policing strategy” and<br />
a further 24 per cent thought it<br />
should stay and they “trusted<br />
police to make decisions about<br />
how to deploy resources”. However,<br />
12 per cent of respondents<br />
said the helicopter was really<br />
distressing and a further 12 per<br />
cent viewed it as irritating.<br />
Superintendent Price says it<br />
has been a very busy trial period<br />
for the Eagle.<br />
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz<br />
Police Eagle helicopter trial ends:<br />
John Price<br />
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SAFER? With the police Eagle trial now over, we look at some of the incidents it was<br />
involved in and whether it has made the city any safer.<br />
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“At the end of week four, Sunday,<br />
15 <strong>March</strong>, there had been<br />
305 jobs that Eagle had attended<br />
and 210 apprehensions or people<br />
found due to the help of the eye<br />
in the sky.<br />
“This translates to 69 per cent<br />
of offenders being caught or<br />
people being found using Eagle<br />
as a policing tool.<br />
Superintendent Price said right<br />
from the first day of the trial<br />
– February 17 – the Eagle has been<br />
in demand. One of its first jobs was<br />
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to help locate a stolen motorbike<br />
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“Ground staff talked to air<br />
staff and with specific instructions<br />
and expert guidance, the<br />
staff identified a route where the<br />
stolen bike and car would be<br />
blocked in and stopped by staff.<br />
“<strong>The</strong>re was success for the<br />
teams involved when three arrests<br />
were made, one stolen motorbike<br />
recovered, one stolen car<br />
recovered and two men arrested<br />
and charged with possession for<br />
supply of methamphetamine.<br />
Superintendent Price said it<br />
only got busier from there.<br />
“Within the first week, a traffic<br />
incident unfolded where a car<br />
was spotted weaving all over<br />
and driving on the wrong side<br />
of the road.<br />
“It was followed by an informant,<br />
then police, for a considerable<br />
distance at Pigeon Bay,<br />
which later lead to a successful<br />
apprehension.<br />
“Eagle monitored the vehicle<br />
and the manner of driving<br />
made it clear that a serious crash<br />
would occur if the car was not<br />
stopped.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> crew located an<br />
appropriate place to safely land<br />
the helicopter and conduct a<br />
vehicle stop. <strong>The</strong> car was stopped<br />
without incident, but the driver,<br />
after refusing breath and bloodalcohol<br />
tests, was arrested.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> 33-year-old woman will<br />
appear on traffic charges in April.”<br />
At the end of the second<br />
week of the trial the Eagle<br />
helped a police patrol unit in<br />
pursuit of a vehicle that had left<br />
a bar in Darfield travelling at<br />
high speed.<br />
“As Eagle was close, the<br />
crew obtained long-range<br />
observations while the patrol<br />
car self-abandoned the pursuit<br />
on Wards Rd.<br />
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