Victoria Police Air Wing crowned one of the ‘busiest in the world’ recording 10,000 hours in the sky

Victoria Police has reached a sky-high global milestone by notching up 10,000 hours in the air, thanks to a game-changing addition to its fleet.

Victoria Police Air Wing has been crowned one of the busiest in the world notching up 10,000 hours in the sky since the three helicopters were bought three years ago.

Tactical Flight Officer Jim Stafford, a 23-year veteran of Air Wing, said the helicopters were a “game-changer” because they could travel further, stay up in the air for longer and have a top speed of 250km/h.

Flight Officer Jim Stafford gets a bird’s eye view of the MCG. Picture: Mark Stewart

It has meant the Leonardo AW139 aircraft have been deployed to 30,000 incidents and played a crucial role in more than 3000 arrests in the state since July 2020.

“They have literally been a game-changer because we can go to more jobs, we can get to them quicker and we can support officers on the ground for longer,” Tactical Flight Officer (TFO) Stafford said.

“It’s the most amount of hours for any police force flying this type of helicopter worldwide.”

Leonardo helicopters are used in 150 countries for everything from law enforcement, defence and emergency rescue.

TFO Stafford added: “It has also changed things like pursuits. No one on the ground has to be following them closely because we can monitor them until they run out of fuel, direct where to deploy stop sticks or track where they flee on foot.”

TFO Luci Saunders said the helicopters were fitted with state of the art cameras that could zoom in on a car number plate from several kilometres away.

They also have infra-red cameras that can spot people hiding, who need rescuing and even crop houses.

The Leonardo AW139 helicopters have clocked up 10,000 hours of flying in three years. Picture: Mark Stewart

The helicopters can also seat three times as many people as the ones they replaced, enabling specialist police to be deployed to regional areas when a major incident happens in rapid time.

Acting Superintendent Kelly Walker, from the Specialist Response Division, said the aircraft were “an extraordinarily valuable resource.”

“Our aircraft fleet is as advanced as they come,” she said.

“It’s an extraordinarily valuable resource when lives are on the line.

“Whether it be winching a person stuck in the bush to safety, following a speeding car from above or transporting specialist police to a critical incident in a regional area – we’ve got the state covered.”

The choppers have played a crucial role in 3000 arrests. Picture: Mark Stewart

There are 60 people in the Air Wing, including 14 pilots and 38 Tactical Flight Officers.

Demand for positions is so high, more than 80 officers applied for a recent job.

Acting Deputy Commissioner Robert Hill attended the Essendon Fields Airport headquarters to celebrate the 10,000 hour milestone this week.

“The Air Wing responds to some of the most significant emergencies, criminal investigations and other critical incidents in the state,” he said.

“Our helicopters are our workhorses in the sky and perform a critical role for the community

“Every day and every night they are out there with our frontline police keeping you safe.”