Police to buy second new chopper

| 09/08/2019 | 26 Comments
Cayman News Service
Damaged RCIPS helicopter ready to be shipped

(CNS): Cabinet has given the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service the all clear to buy a new helicopter to replace the one that crashed earlier this year because it cannot be repaired. The police have been in talks with the insurance company about the original machine, which, shortly after take-off at the Owen Roberts International Airport in February, hit the ground and damaged the tail as a result of mechanical failure. Government is expected to receive around $2.6 million from the insurance pay-out for the older chopper, which will go towards a new one.

The RCIPS confirmed that they are still in negotiations with a preferred bidder for a new helicopter, which they hope to purchase before the end of the year. While the costs has not yet been confirmed, the CIG recently spent around $11 million on an Airbus H145, which it purchased in partnership with the UK with a view to using that helicopter in other overseas territories in the event of an emergency or disaster.

That machine is already being used for medical emergencies and will be used by the Cayman Islands Coast Guard for search and rescue as well as crime fighting purposes. It is not yet known what type of machine the police will be buying to replace the original Euro-chopper.

That helicopter was bought almost a decade ago and fuelled a considerable amount of financial scandal at the time after then police commissioner Stuart Kernohan was accused of misleading politicians when pitching for the $3 million machine. However, it soon became a critical tool in the RCIPS fight against crime, and after modifications also began helping in emergency airlifts and search and rescue.


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Tags: ,

Category: Crime, Crime Prevention

Comments (26)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    excellent!!! give them drug dealers hell…

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    • Anonymous says:

      take the coke, crack, illegal immigrants, guns, etc.

      give me taxed, regulated and legal cannabis grown by local caymanians now

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  2. Anonymous says:

    Twice the invasion of privacy.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Yeah, just an annoying noise in the sky!

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    • Anonymous says:

      They literally have cameras that can look through your roof at you and your family sleeping. Who knows how often they use these? They always seem to be buzzing around residential neighborhoods.

  3. Johnny Rotten says:

    Make sure the next one has a chain gun and hellfire missiles to light up those who want to try and run drugs here.

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  4. Say it like it is says:

    This makes sense. The current helicopter has more than proved it’s worth in drug and other crime interdiction in addition to medical emergency missions. Hopefully the new helicopter will also be able to conduct sea to air rescues.

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  5. Anonymous says:

    Why not work to get another of the same model? Then parts and maintenance would be easier to manage?

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    • Anonymous says:

      Why not take up the offer USCG made over 20 years ago to base one of their helicopters here? Zero cost, totally back up and when it all hits the fan no f***ing around. I’ve seen those guys in action in another Caribbean location and they kick ass!

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      • Anonymous says:

        1:54 because the US will do US work dummy

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        • Anonymous says:

          2:22 USCG do what they’re good at – taking out bad guys. If you have an issue with that it’s probably because you’re part of the problem. Maybe you just don’t fancy the idea of the back end of your go-fast being shot off by a mini-gun? It was the best option 20 years ago and it still is.

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      • Anonymous says:

        No thanks. You say no cost but ask Okinawans raped by American servicemen how they feel about Foreign armed forces based in their home. We have enough problems as it is, there is no need to invite more.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Because this is a UK territory dumbass, not a US aircraft carrier. They already have USCG Cutters patrolling the Caribbean for drugs and anti-terror interdiction, they don’t have the jurisdiction to intervene in Cayman territorial waters.

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    • Anonymous says:

      1:15. My understanding is that the Government is purchasing the same model.

      Regretfully the same negative posters who torn CIG apart for purchasing the first Helicopter only to have to eat their words after it saved lives and played a key role in drug interdiction will find a way to complain about this new Helicopter too.

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      • Anonymous says:

        I just wanna relax in my backyard with cannabis tea that I grew and brewed while Jonny old boy walks through town legally blazing his nicotine laced tobacco.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Anonymous 1:15pm Where in the Article you see that they mention what chopper they are going to purchase to replace the one that crashed? Because I don’t see any mention of what kind of Helicopter they’re going to purchase,what I come to understand is RCIPS confirmed that they are still in negotiations with a preferred bidder for a new helicopter. I don’t see no mention of what Choper, unless you know something the other readers don’t know.

    • Anonymous says:

      How about an Augusta Westland AW-139. Hell of a chopper!

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  6. Anonymous says:

    The controversy over the helicopter in 2007 was fueled by vested interests who realised it could put them out of business. The real issue with that purchase was that the supporters of certain politicians didn’t want RCIPS to have a 24/7 eye in the sky so they got them to keep shifting the goalposts in order to increase the costs involved. They did exactly the same by interfering with the purchase of new vessels for the Marine Unit. The drugs trade has some very powerful friends in these islands.

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  7. Anonymous says:

    What a waste.

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    • Anonymous says:

      A waste of what? An accident occured. Insurance didn’t pay out true replacement value – that happens with cars all the time, why should choppers be any different. The old chopper was exactly that, old. We should just bite the bullet and get a new Airbus the same model if it is proving fit for purpose, considerable economies will come from that.

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  8. Anonymous says:

    What Coastguard? What Marine Unit for that matter?

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