The police are increasing their arsenal of modern measures to keep Poles safe. Four new Bell-407GXi helicopters have joined marked and unmarked police cars, motorbikes, laser speedometers or drones, reports the Polish Police Headquarters (KGP).

“The Bell-407GXi helicopters, purchased under an EU project, will serve to increase safety on Polish roads”, informed young inspector Anna Kędzierzawska of the Police Headquarters.

The new machines have been equipped with an Aerial Observation System (SOL) with a special optoelectronic head, as well as an image recording and transmission system and a controlled dazzle reflector. As a result, police aviators together with traffic officers both day and night will monitor the traffic situation from the air.

The helicopters have an additional fuel tank, which will enable the aviators to cover about 700 km and keep the machine in the air for up to more than 3.5 hours.

Head of the Police Aviation Board of the GSP KGP Inspector Pilot Robert Sitek said that until now, two ‘Bells’ were stationed in Warsaw and one in Poznań. Now helicopters of this type will also be operated in Szczecin, Wrocław, Łódź and Kraków.

The new Bell-407GXi helicopters, together with the machines purchased over the last four years, make up one of the most modern aviation fleets not only in the country, but also in Europe. “This is the largest helicopter project implemented by the Police Main Headquarters in Poland for EU funds, i. e. nearly PLN 170 million for the purchase of 4 Bell-407GXi helicopters”, said Małgorzata Kubicka, deputy director of the KGP Finance Bureau.

Currently, police forces worldwide use 130 Bell helicopters. The largest user of them is the US police (around 30 machines of this type). With seven Bell helicopters now at their disposal, the Polish police will be able to match the number of these machines to the US state of Texas.

Arkadiusz Słomczyński