Police Aviation News June 2009

Police Aviation News June 2009 4
realistic in that it will take time.
Eurocopter activities in South Africa are carried out by a wholly-owned subsidiary of the
group, Eurocopter South Africa Ltd (Esal). Esal undertakes a wide range of activities at its
Lanseria and Cape Town facilities, including the assembly of helicopters after their arrival in
South Africa; maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) of Eurocopter helicopters; servicing
and support of Eurocopter helicopters; the supply of spares; and the marketing and sale of
helicopters.
Another important task, mostly carried out at Lanseria, is the customisation of Eurocopter
helicopters to meet the requirements of customers – that is, special and specific mission
equipment is fitted in South Africa, not in Europe (where the helicopters are manufactured).
For South Africa, the main market has so far been in the parapublic sector, with the South
African Police Service (SAPS) currently operating 28 Eurocopter helicopters of three different
types (the BO105, BK117, and AS350). Botswana recently set up its own Police Air
Wing, with three AS350s, and Namibia has done likewise, with one AS350.
AUSTRALIA
NEW SOUTH WALES: Emergency services mounted a three-hour operation involving
a helicopter and a fire truck to rescue a man who got stuck on the roof of a factory in Sydney
that he was allegedly trying to rob. New South Wales State Police were called to the
joinery factory where a 53-year-old man was stuck on the roof, apparently unable to move
because of wet weather and steep angle.
Numerous rescue attempts were made, and emergency crews eventually used a fire truck
with a tall ladder to retrieve the man while a helicopter illuminated the rooftop. Police arrested
the man and charged him with trespassing, possession of housebreaking imple-