GMP unveil new force helicopter

Helicopter

The Chairman of the Greater Manchester Police Authority (GMPA), Councillor Paul Murphy, will unveil the new Force helicopter on Tuesday 16 September.

The new state-of-the-art MD 902 Explorer helicopter landed at its base in Barton in August and replaces the previous helicopter, also an MD 902 explorer, which had been with Greater Manchester Police for seven years.

The new helicopter is equipped with the latest high definition daylight and thermal imaging camera systems. This will provide high quality images of offenders in action and play a significant part in successful prosecutions.

The launch will see Police Aviation Services (PAS), the helicopter’s manufacturers, hand over the keys of the helicopter to Greater Manchester Police Authority.

The previous helicopter has played an invaluable role in policing Greater Manchester and last year alone carried out nearly 5,500 assignments and was integral in the arrest of over 700 offenders.