Police and handheld thermals

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User00056

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Watching a documentary on the mass escape from the Jarlswood Immigration Removal Centre, and it struck me how much reliance was placed on the helicopter thermal camera to track the escapees in the immediate aftermath, and guide ground crews to the exact location of individuals. It raised the question in my mind as to why patrols aren't issued with basic thermal imagers these days? My Hikmicro, for example, can be had for under a thousand pounds these days, and it's more than capable of detecting a human within a few hundred yards. Surely even one unit as part of a patrol car's standard kit would be a worthwhile investment for forces for so many situations?

Wonder why it's not been implemented? In fact, I wonder if it's even been considered at all? 🤔
 
Quixote said:
Watching a documentary on the mass escape from the Jarlswood Immigration Removal Centre, and it struck me how much reliance was placed on the helicopter thermal camera to track the escapees in the immediate aftermath, and guide ground crews to the exact location of individuals. It raised the question in my mind as to why patrols aren't issued with basic thermal imagers these days? My Hikmicro, for example, can be had for under a thousand pounds these days, and it's more than capable of detecting a human within a few hundred yards. Surely even one unit as part of a patrol car's standard kit would be a worthwhile investment for forces for so many situations?

Wonder why it's not been implemented? In fact, I wonder if it's even been considered at all? 🤔
Click to expand...
Budget constraints.

Police are operating on a shoestring.
 
The original FLIR (forward looking infra red) thermals were extolled to US law enforcement, I think the fire brigade here. Ay have used them also, but yes they’re a no brainier for the police I’d think, so the lack of brains seems to be political or accounts based.
 
Dave_45 said:
Budget constraints.

Police are operating on a shoestring.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure that's really a factor when you think of how much time a helicopter needs to stay on station to direct ground officers into a specific position 🤔 If the helicopter can be used to direct various ground patrols into the general area of where suspects are, surely a handheld thermal is more cost effective and efficient?

You may very well be right though. The bean counters don't really consider the wider aspects, in general 🙄
 
Quixote said:
I'm not sure that's really a factor when you think of how much time a helicopter needs to stay on station to direct ground officers into a specific position 🤔 If the helicopter can be used to direct various ground patrols into the general area of where suspects are, surely a handheld thermal is more cost effective and efficient?

You may very well be right though. The bean counters don't really consider the wider aspects, in general 🙄
Click to expand...
They have one helicopter I think and countless justifiable reasons to use it.

A helicopter thermal sees far more than a cop on the beat with his handheld.


The cops in Glasgow can barely get a K9 never mind a thermal.
 
These days, the cops are more worried about being sued by all and sundry. So things that are important for officer safety, such as flak jackets, pepper spray and such things are more of a priority so officers can't sue their employers when things go Pete Tong. Things that are of assistance in catching fleeing offenders therefore come below that in the pecking order. However, you'd think that hand held devices would be cheaper than having a helicopter do the job. Although there's always the question of how many they'd buy and you'd probably find that the nearest car with a hand held unit will be 50 miles away when one is needed, especially in rural areas. That's the way it is with firearms officers often, it's pot luck when you need one as to how close or not they would be.

I remember on one occasion I was doing some "obs" on a deserted farmhouse (for reasons that aren't relevant) with one. I was looking across a field at the buildings and there were cows in the field. I could see a cow ambling about but on the ground to the rear of the animal was a heat source. I let my colleague look and he said that it was a recently produced cow pat. However as the cow moved, the heat source moved too. In the end, when the reason for us being there came to nothing I had to put the "big" torch on the object. It was a hedgehog, following the cow and lapping up drips from the cow's udder. Clever hedgehog, but perhaps a bit dangerous.
 
We supply Northland police (Nz) with there there thermals, they have 6 to cover the area, mainly used by armed responders, one helicopter covers Nz ( it gets moved around mainly Auckland) helicopters are far superior to handhelds, they have ability to look down and move at speed is a no brainer, police here will occasionally use private companies to do drug crop searches.
Drones are limited by wind and fly time.
 
Quixote said:
Watching a documentary on the mass escape from the Jarlswood Immigration Removal Centre, and it struck me how much reliance was placed on the helicopter thermal camera to track the escapees in the immediate aftermath, and guide ground crews to the exact location of individuals. It raised the question in my mind as to why patrols aren't issued with basic thermal imagers these days? My Hikmicro, for example, can be had for under a thousand pounds these days, and it's more than capable of detecting a human within a few hundred yards. Surely even one unit as part of a patrol car's standard kit would be a worthwhile investment for forces for so many situations?

Wonder why it's not been implemented? In fact, I wonder if it's even been considered at all? 🤔
Click to expand...
Completely agree, have had an occasion of poaching here lately, one officer turned up after my call, I let him use my thermal to see where they were in the field. He thanked me and said I could go home. Called me 20 mins later to ask if I could go back to find them as he had lost them and had no backup. I politely declined as did not want them potentially seeing my car. He called me back another 20 mins later to say he was leaving as he had not found them and still had no backup. I see other forces putting the chopper up for these things, but ours cannot get more than one officer out.
 
Dave_45 said:
Budget constraints.

Police are operating on a shoestring.
Click to expand...
Am not sure thats true. Remember when a bobby went out witha whistle and truncheon ? They look like swat now, helicopters, drones etc. i think a lot of money is spent maybe just not as wisely as it could be. I suppose its the same with all govt spending
 
spanj said:
Am not sure thats true. Remember when a bobby went out witha whistle and truncheon ? They look like swat now, helicopters, drones etc. i think a lot of money is spent maybe just not as wisely as it could be. I suppose its the same with all govt spending
Click to expand...
I love the way that some people remember things. walking the beat (watching the baddy drive away), taking on the baddies with a stick (truncheon) when they have knives axes baseball bats or are mob handed..... Dixon of Dock Green was great, until you remember that it ended with him being shot.

yes you can quote the number of warranted officers and think thats a lot of cash, now add all of the un warranted admin staff, PCSO's CSI (SOCO) mechanics, cleaners, custody assistants, custody medical staff, vehicles, helicopter pilots, custody staff.... I believe that just the Met Police has more people than say the RAF! Money can be tight!
 
Quixote said:
Watching a documentary on the mass escape from the Jarlswood Immigration Removal Centre, and it struck me how much reliance was placed on the helicopter thermal camera to track the escapees in the immediate aftermath, and guide ground crews to the exact location of individuals. It raised the question in my mind as to why patrols aren't issued with basic thermal imagers these days? My Hikmicro, for example, can be had for under a thousand pounds these days, and it's more than capable of detecting a human within a few hundred yards. Surely even one unit as part of a patrol car's standard kit would be a worthwhile investment for forces for so many situations?

Wonder why it's not been implemented? In fact, I wonder if it's even been considered at all? 🤔
Click to expand...

Apart from budgetary constraints, there are numerous legal issues to consider. Police surveillance is covered by several different Acts of Parliament, including but not limited to the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000, the Regulation of Investigatory Powers (Extension of Authorisation Provisions: Legal Consultations) Order 2010 and the Police Act 1997. (Have fun reading and inwardly digesting those.)

Short version? It’s not as easy as just dishing out thermals…

maximus otter
 
If lorry tyres are the best example, shouldn't the technology be fitted to the lorry ?

So far the debate on here is as simplistic as that for more gun control.
 
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