SPEEDING motorists could be nabbed from the sky by a new crime-fighting chopper to be trialled at the Gold Coast.
Dodging speed cameras is only going to get harder for dangerous drivers as police move to patrol Gold Coast roads from several hundred feet above the ground.
If successful, the eyes in the sky could be sent to other parts of Queensland, targeting high-speed chases, dangerous drivers and crime hot spots.
For 20 hours a week - at any time of the day - the helicopter will be mobilised to fight crime at the Gold Coast.
The chopper will be primarily used so police no longer have to engage in dangerous high-speed chases, but Gold Coast City Council Mayor Ron Clarke said he was urging police to nab leadfoot motorists during the trial.
Cr Clarke and the State Government are funding the $1.6 million, six-month trial of the police helicopter, which is scheduled to start patrols in November.
"There's a perception that, if there's police up there and you do speed, you don't know if you're going to get caught," Cr Clarke told The Sunday Mail.
"(We need) anything that makes the community safer (and) helps (reduce) the road toll."
When asked about whether it would consider booking drivers from the air, the Queensland Police Service said: "The tender process is ongoing and specifications are still being finalised as part of that process."
Highly-placed sources have told The Sunday Mail that, while the technology exists for police choppers to pinpoint motorists from the air, police in the Gold Coast trial were more likely to identify speeding motorists in the air and then alert a ground crew to take action.
It's understood a Bell 206 helicopter will be used in the trial, and the Heliwest Group, which has a base in Toowoomba, has won the contract to supply the chopper. It will have infrared technology, allowing police to be effective during the day or night.
Queensland Police Union president Ian Leavers said the chopper would be another tool for police.
"The much-needed police helicopter will perform a multitude of roles as a proactive eye-in-the-sky to prevent crime and assist police as an extra observational platform," Mr Leavers said.
"The Police Union has been fully involved in the consultation and tender process and fully supports the police helicopter trial and its massive contribution to policing in being able to work in tandem with police on the ground and enhance the operational capabilities of police."
RACQ senior traffic and safety engineer Greg Miszkowycz said a chopper would make high-speed police chases safer, but questioned the need for another avenue for police to catch lead-foot drivers.
Victorian Police already uses its airwing to help nab speeding motorists, as do some police in the US and UK.
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