6 February 2013
The Metropolitan Police has published a number of photos of its aircraft being targeted by blue lasers, in a bid to deter people from shining these potentially dangerous lights.
The Metropolitan Police tweeted from its account @MPSHelicopters, ‘We are continually asked about the effects of a laser attack on the aircraft. Here is an example.’ (left)
The images were released this week amid mounting concern over the number of attacks on aircraft flying over the capital and officers warned of a new crackdown. According to reports, The Met’s helicopters have been fitted with equipment, including night vision, which can identify exactly where lasers are being fired from. Another tweet explained, ‘Using the camera/map we can pinpoint the exact location of the suspect and send units in to arrest.’
There are two main offences covered by the Air Navigation Order in relation to this: Article 137 – Endangering an aircraft and Article 222 – Shining a light at an aircraft.
The Met said in 2010 there were 145 reported incidents. In 2012 the number rose to 252.
The police explained that they are not the only victims; aeroplanes at UK airports have also been targeted in the past. In August, several aircraft operating into Gatwick, Liverpool and East Midlands were illuminated with a strong laser by persons on the ground, whilst flying visual approaches.
According to the British Airline Pilots Association, a laser illumination event can result in temporary vision loss associated with flash blindness (a visual interference that persists after the source of illumination has been removed), after-image (a transient image left in the visual field after exposure to a bright light) and glare (obscuration of an object in a person’s field of vision due to a bright light source located near the same line of sight), stating ‘the potential for an accident definitely exists.’
