JACKSON FLORES / RIO DE JANEIRO & NICK FARINA / BEIJING

Bucking the trend of the civil helicopter sector, the law enforcement market is flourishing in Brazil and China to combat escalating crime

The one growing market in an economically depressed civil helicopter sector is law enforcement - a result of the 11 September terrorist attacks. This demand extends to the burgeoning economies of Asia and Latin America, the rising importance of which is underscored by Brazil's growing fleet of parapublic helicopters. A potentially even larger market exists in China, which has begun to signal its interest with a recent flurry of piston and small turbine helicopter orders.

Police agencies in Brazil are no strangers to the concept of airborne law enforcement, with the states of Rio Grande do Sul and São Paulo having established their own aviation units in the 1920s. Police aviation, however, only began to take off in the early 1960s thanks to the persistence of a handful of Rio de Janeiro state security officers, who secured an order for two Fairchild-Hiller FH-1100s. By the end of the decade, neighbouring São Paulo was operating helicopters and other Brazilian law enforcement agencies soon followed suit.

Today 29 Brazilian state and federal law enforcement agencies operate 81 aircraft, up from 60 two years ago. Police operators primarily employ helicopters for surveillance and to support ground units during major operations. A police force with just one helicopter can cover an area that would need 15 patrol cars, while supporting another 35 units. As a result, helicopters have been gaining greater appeal among state governments as they help police forces to counter increasing crime rates.

Many of the larger operators perform other duties that go well beyond surveillance. Rio de Janeiro's air operations general co-ordinating centre (CGOA), for instance, relies on six Eurocopter/Helibras HB350B/ BA/B2 Esquilo helicopters, as well as one HB-355N and an AS365F (the latter employed solely for VIP duties). CGOA's helicopters also perform hourly beach patrol and rescue sorties with Esquilos, performing more than 9,000 rescues since 1975. The CGOA is active in anti-drug operations, providing an airborne communications post and fire support platform.

Brasília-based Polícia Federal, the Brazilian counterpart to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, employs two Bell 412EPs and four HB350B2 and HB355Ns. Tasked with missions such as large-scale anti-drug and anti-piracy operations, the force's helicopters are used intensively and are periodically sent to other parts of the country. In view of the relentless and growing demand for the unit's rotary-wing element, the Polícia Federal has drawn up a requirement for 100 helicopters to be acquired and deployed throughout Brazil over the next 10 years.

This is aimed at countering the spiralling increase in cross-border drug trafficking. It is dubbed the "toothpaste effect" because increased pressure on guerilla forces and their drug-related activities in neighbouring Colombia squeezes illegal activity into Brazil. Although current budgetary constraints are likely to inhibit the purchase of that many helicopters at any one time, the Polícia Federal intends to double its fleet within the next five years.

Charged with policing federal highways, the Polícia Federal Rodoviária also has its own aviation element. Equipped with five Bell 407s and four Eurocopter EC120 Colibris, this is one unit that is expected to expand considerably over the coming years. It has a requirement for 25 surveillance and medevac helicopters over the next five years and is not burdened by the same budgetary limitations as others because Brazilian law allows it to draw on road fines to help its funding.

Financial stumbling block

Finance is a major stumbling block in the development of police aviation in Brazil. Helibras's manager for police and paramilitary aviation sales, Mauro Henrique Ayres, estimates Brazilian law enforcement agencies need about 200 helicopters within the next five years, for which there is insufficient funding. Money is not the only problem. "Current federal and state legislation arrests the growth of practically every police aviation unit in Brazil, a problem that is compounded by organisational difficulties," says Ayres.

Helibras enjoys 81% of the local law enforcement market. The Eurocopter subsidiary expects to sell 50 helicopters over the next five years, of which nearly half will be EC120s and the rest single- and twin-engined Esquilos. Helibras's success can be attributed mainly to the HB350. Since 1978, Brazil has absorbed 10% of Eurocopter's overall AS350/355 production due to its popularity with Brazil's police forces.

In China, the parapublic sector is gradually acquiring speed, with the public security ministry (MPS) and the armed police force (PAP) procuring small numbers of helicopters in recent years. With a combined strength of over 2.3 million personnel, both organisations have for years had aviation requirements to support airborne law enforcement and internal security, yet progress has been slow. In light of the global war against terrorism and large-scale security preparations for the 2008 Olympics, China is poised to increase significantly its acquisition of police helicopters.

The country has produced helicopters since 1963, but most have been allocated to the military. Law-enforcement helicopters, by contrast, are relatively new. While provincial public security bureaux (PSB) under the MPS, along with the police, have enjoyed access to rotary-wing aircraft in the past, they were typically owned by the air force, army, or the few commercial enterprises with aviation assets, and called upon when needed. This situation largely continues, but some changes are evident.

There are two main hurdles to rapid growth of the Chinese parapublic sector: high acquisition and operational costs; and a lack of skilled pilots and trained maintainers. The absence of a clearly defined regulatory framework compounds the challenges facing potential PSB operators, since airspace is controlled by the air force. Adding to the cost of putting in place the necessary infrastructure is the need to exercise men and machines frequently to maximise operational effectiveness. Funding at provincial levels is uneven and, while some local governments have the resources, many do not.

Despite these challenges, there are signs of an expansion in the Chinese parapublic sector, with a growing number of PSB units considering the establishment of their own air support units. Western manufacturers are paying much closer attention to this market, with many in attendance at the first China International Exhibition on Police Equipment staged in Beijing last June.

Robinson exhibited an R44 police helicopter which was subsequently delivered to the Zhengzhou PSB. The city operates two helicopters, which are being used for surveillance, crime fighting, traffic control, and as command platforms. Both aircraft were recently deployed in several anti-terrorist exercises, and Zhengzhou PSB deputy director Huang Baowei has praised the R44's involvement in combating crime and terrorism. Henan province's PSB deputy director Li Minqing has been credited as one of the driving forces behind the purchase of the R44. "We recognised the need to set up an air support unit three to four years ago, but 11 September sped up that process."

Air support system

Zhengzhou PSB has a comprehensive air support system, including its own aircraft, pilots and logistics. Wuhan formed the initial police air support detachment in the early 1990s, followed by Dalian and Dongguan PSBs. The former took delivery of two AgustaWestland A109E Powers in 1999 and 2002. Hainan PSB has also had access to a Hainan Airlines-operated Bell 206B-3 JetRanger III since 1999 for border patrol and other missions. Guangzhou and Shenzhen are setting up similar airborne units for their police departments. Guangdong PSB has accepted delivery of a Eurocopter EC120B and an EC135. Guangdong General Aviation operates an MD Helicopters MD500E in a number of roles on behalf of the Zhongshan PSB.

Local PSB and PAP units are creating elite teams to deal with terrorist threats. This includes the Shanghai PAP, which established a 67-man force in February 2002, and may get its own helicopters for tactical air support. Hong Kong has devised a plan, under which the local police force, supported by the government flying service, is responsible for anti-terrorism.

Faced with a growing Islamic separatist movement in Xinjiang, the PAP has stepped up efforts to use helicopters for surveillance, border patrol and to track down possible terrorists. The PAP bolstered its rotary-wing fleet in September 2001 with the delivery of four Harbin Z-9As to support such missions. Given China's lengthy land borders, increasing urban population concentrations and rapid economic development, its emerging parapublic sector can only grow.

Source: Flight International