The Garda Air Support Unit was directly responsible for 523 arrests and assisted in a further 801 arrests in the past three years, it was revealed yesterday as the Garda Síochána marked the arrival of the latest helicopter to the unit.
Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy and Minister for Justice Brian Lenihan were on hand when the new Eurocopter EC135T2+ flew into Garda Headquarters in the Phoenix Park.
It replaces a Eurocopter Twin Squirrel which has been in use since the Garda Air Support Unit began its work in 1997.
The unit also has a fixed wing aeroplane and a Eurocopter EC135T2.
Mr Lenihan said the effectiveness of the unit was demonstrated by the high number of arrests it was involved in and its success in search and rescue operations. Garda aircraft located 31 missing people and 277 missing vehicles in the past three years.
The new €7.5 million helicopter was described as "state-of-the-art" by Mr Murphy. It is equipped with sophisticated search lights and high-tech cameras and will provide round-the-clock support to gardaí in crime investigations, public order policing, search and rescue and traffic management.
