Police helicopter targeted by laser - Sydney Harbour

[Ryan N]

Another one. Dumb dumb dumb!!!!

http://www.police.nsw.gov.au/news/media_release_archive?sq_content_src=%2BdXJsPWh0dH BzJTNBJTJGJTJGd3d3LmViaXoucG9saWNlLm5zdy5nb3YuYXUl MkZtZWRpYSUyRjIwNzY3Lmh0bWwmYWxsPTE%3D

Sunday, 01 January 2012 08:46:41 AM

A man has been charged with shining a laser at a police helicopter during New Year’s Eve celebrations in Sydney last night.


About 9.30pm (Saturday 31 December 2011), Polair 2 was monitoring crowds over Bradfield Park at Milsons Point when it was targeting by a laser on four occasions.


The helicopter crew were able to use their on board cameras to identify a suspect amongst the revellers.


They kept the man under surveillance while directing officers on the ground from the Public Order and Riot Squad to his location.


A short time later, police arrested the 27-year-old man and allegedly found the high-powered laser pointer in his pocket.


The Taiwanese National was interviewed through the use of an interpreter before being charged with threatening the safety of aircraft and the possession of a laser pointer in a public place.


The man has been forced to surrender his passport and has been bailed to appear at North Sydney Local Court on Tuesday 24 January this year.


The Polair crew was not injured and landed safely at Bankstown Airport later in the night.

[Nigel C]

Now waiting for the defence line

"...we shine laser at police all the time in Taiwan...what's the problem here?".

[Dave Dale]

Just deport him, we have enough numb skulls of our own as it is!

[Matt_L]

Polair is there I'n this case to monitor the event and assist personnel on the ground if there are disturbances.. Flashlights are the least of revellers worries and surely does not justify pointing a laser at the pilots..

[Jethro H]

The light is rarely used these days. I didn't see it used at all on NYE.

Majority of police operations now use the camera with live vision is fed to the commanders. The light is actually a hindrance to Polair's FLIR camera operations.

[Philip Argy]

Apparently Polair's NightSun is very useful for illuminating the water's edge and for water police - a spotlight from a police boat, especially the smaller ones, doesn't have as useful an angle to facilitate distance and positional determinations.

[Maikha Ly]

The light is rarely used these days. I didn't see it used at all on NYE.I was at Greenwich, at Manns Point for NYE, and saw the searchlight used a few times from the Polairs. At one point, I think it was 20mins before midnight, they even shined it along the riverbank where we were, goodness those things are bright enough to light up the MCG! :)