Has anyone else noticed the police helicopter circling Islington almost every night at 11pm? Why is this?! Is there a criminal on the loose with a fixed routine?

Ooh, no I haven't - that's interesting though, I'll have to listen out and see if it pops up again tonight! Which area are you in when you see it?

At the moment, I'm far more aware of the alarm that wakes me up without fail at 2am, somewhere around the Emirates stadium. It's driving me absolutely bananas.

Sometime soon I'm going to buy myself a surface to air missile and take that damned Helicoptor out of the sky. Everyday and every night it hovers directly over residential areas in Barnsbury and creates nuisance. Surely this is totally unnecessary?

It's 20:46 and it's back and louder than ever. It's sparked my curiosity because it flies so damn low. Why? Is it a police helicopter for sure? Maybe call the council and ask..someone is bound to have posed the question before...

I'm sick of this helicopter. Who the hell does it belong to? The Police have denied that it is a Police flight. Has anyone managed to get it's number down?

I think the thing was back again this evening flying directly over the Bemerton Estate. Not wanting to cast aspersions but I can't believe that it's a secret millionaire waiting the drop their bag of cash. It has to be the police! Maybe they don't want to release surveillance information to the public. I'm with you though. it is very irritating!

It is a large black and yellow helicopter. I know it now to be a police helicopter, I know that because it has 'POLICE' written on the side in large black letters.

It was back again last night, disturbing thousands of people.

Steve.J.Watling@met.police.uk

Richard.Brandon@met.police.uk

The officers responsible for the helicopter that is a regular nuisance to everyone living in Barnsbury. Please email them!

Seriously, I dont understand what they are doing in that helicopter! It just hovered for about 20 minutes...!!!!!!???!?!

I heard there were *two* police helicopters in the Holloway area last night. No idea why.

Yes I too and driven to despair about the police helicopters inflicting noise terror on our communities at night. If you ever get a chance to watch what they do it is merely transcribing large circles around the night sky without targeting any single point - does any one have any explanation for this activity. I have tried to be understanding and generally I think the police do a good job but there is obvioulsy a breed of chopper copper that abuses their power to be able to enjoy joy riding through the Islington night.

Yes I too think that the use of police helicopters at night is excessive and what a game the official response is - oh we have no knowledge of of police helicopter usage in your area last night - have you tried the air abulance? They think we are stupid. Write to your MP emilythronberrymp@parliament.uk and let her know what is happening in her constituency. She is shadow minister now and may be able to get it investigated.

Maybe we should start a 'helicopter log' : date, time, length of hovering.
Currently near Cally Rd, 10:30 on 31.7.11, been around for half an hour and still not stopped, and is low (therefore more noisy).
Have notified the MP: emilythronberrymp@parliament.uk

OMG please shut up you stupid heli. It is sunday evening....I am fed up with this noise. I appreciate the police have to do there job but really..........are there really enough criminals to have this almost every night. What have the police said on this? That its true...they are after criminals every night...or are they just keeping watch...is it just to put off criminals. It's driving me insane. That along with the inconsiderate recycling men who reverse into a cr park every tues and friday at 6 am unnecessarily and wake me up and the foxes that have sex which sounds like someone is being raped......makes me hate this neighbourhood sometimes!

My apologies, MP is emilythornberrymp@parliament.uk

Last night the helicopter seemed to be over Canonbury for a fairly long time - with lights flashing etc. Agree it would be useful to know what it is doing and what results it has produced, as the noise is really annoying.

Have just emailed the police. Thanks for the address insurgent.


"Dear Metropolitan Police
I am a resident in Camden near the Islington border, and several nights a week, including tonight, a helicopter flies quite low over what I guess might be Caledonian Road/ Holloway Road/ Barnsbury. This always seems to happen around 11. Its very loud and lasts for very long. Its not just a helicopter passing by, its hovering, persistently.

Can you please shed some light on this? It is really irritating and tonight it was flying so low it was practically rattling my kitchen windows near Camden Square.

thank you"

Dear Sirs,

I am writing to you as I understand that you may have received several enquiries into Police helicopter night time activity from Islington residents. I too am a resident in Barnsbury, Islington adjacent to Caledonian Road and I would further like to enquire as to the nature of these flights. Hopefully you are aware by now that helicopter noise is incredibly disturbing particularly for those residents that sleep on upper levels of flats. I understand that using this type of surveillance maybe necessary to monitor certain activity but it is becoming an increasing occurrence and always around the time of 11pm, lasting for at least an hour. The frequency perhaps suggests that these are not reactive call outs but standard procedure and perhaps not entirely necessary at this time.

I am part of an Islington based website that is currently discussing this as an issue. We are confident that the problems are caused by Police helicopters due to sighted markings on the helicopter flanks. Most of those that have commented on this issue have found consistency in our records of flight timing and frequency.

If you could perhaps give me some insight into why this occurs and how this situation might be improved I will relay your response back to the website and it's followers. I have copied in Emily Thornberry, our local MP as I know that several people have also consulted her in the issue.

Regards

Didn't realise this this was so touchy. FYI the asterixed out comment was NOT the F word!

I move to Barnsbury from abroad since June. I only know that the amount of noise created by helicopters it is sometimes unbearable at night and day time. I don't understand why is so much use o helicopters for. Is it something only inthis area of Islingtom?
Now i has been at least a continuous hour 9-10 am.

Just emailed the following (thank you for those email address'):

I am a resident of Barnsbury - Thornhill Road - and I have put up with three years of almost nightly helicopter visits but last night I was at breaking point. I woke up terrified, my heart pumping in panic as I thought the world had come to an end or that London had plummeted into a war zone. But in fact it was a very low helicopter hovering and circling directly over my flat from 11.50am to 1am. It was so low that I lay frozen in my bed waiting to die! Although I am aware this sounds hilarious in the light of day, I was absolutely petrified at the time and fearful for my life.

This is completely unacceptable!

Yes, I am aware that occasionally helicopters are needed. But Occasionally! I count my blessings when there isn't one as they happen so often. Is Barnsbury really such a rough place that we require nightly helicopter surveillance? I lived in Stamford Hill for a year and never had a single helicopter visit!

This has got to be reigned in.

If it is not a Police helicopter - although sightings have seen than the problem helicopter has the Police word emblazoned across it - than I would recommend that this is invetigated. As it is not only having a detrimental affect on Islington residents relationship with the police but is also causing a near nightly disturbance for thousands of residents.

By the way - I can actually hear another right now.

I appreciate your support with this matter,

Regards,

That damned police chopper, it's back again. I wish some criminal would shoot it down.

The MPS Helicopter is only tasked to attend certain very particular jobs. It does not, nor ever has worked in Islington "every night" as some people here seem to keep complaining about. The Helicopter mainly carries out thermal imagery surveys to help Officers (only when they request that they need it) on the ground catch and arrest burglars who, have generally fled and are hiding in YOUR and MY gardens and out buildings carrying YOUR or MY personal belongings.

It tracks, finds and guides officers to stolen vehicles, and finds missing people on a daily basis. It also deters crime by being a visible presence. It has also saved lives by picking people out of the Thames and finding them and collecting them when they are alone in the dark and badly injured. It guided Firemen to people trapped in blazing buildings during the riots and it told our underpaid Police Officers when the next wave of attacks was about to try and get behind them. It saves lives. We pay for it and we get a fantastic service from it and the Officers that operate it.

The Helicopter works for the entire Metropolitan area so is just as likely to be in Croydon, Wimbeldon or the City as it is in Islington.

The Aircraft is a twin engine helicopter weighing 4 tonnes, so indeed does make some noise. The reason it has two engines is purely for OUR safety as in the event of an engine failure it can fly clear and land safely as opposed to single engine (quieter) machines that, in the event of an engine failure would be have to land on a road ...or God forbid a roof top.

The Police are out there trying to catch these thieves and offenders on our behalf and personally, if that means using a helicopter to 'see in the dark' when the Officers on the ground cannot ...I am all for it.

I think that after a small amount of research I have an answer to why we here in Islington hear the aircraft a lot. Simply draw a line on a map from the Helicopters base into central London. It passes directly over us. I would bet that the residents of Tottenham and Chingford hear it FAR more than we do ..

Guys/Girls of the Helicopter unit... you can wake me up at any time of day or night as I know you would not be there unless you are ORDERED to be there and were not doing something that was absolutely necessary.

The amount of legislation it and bureaucracy it takes to get anything done these days means that they do not or can not do anything without being able to justify their actions.

There is NO point trying to get them to tell you why they are there ...its a simple security issue.

Guys and Girls of the Unit, Keep finding, helping, saving, catching, tracking,recovering gathering evidence and any other tasks you do that I don't want to know about ...If I wanted to know ...Id join the Police !

Buy earplugs...

Latest...from the Gazette: http://tinyurl.com/7r6xffm

Oh yeah, and it definitely says "POLICE" on the side. Its that low that you can see it! Happy to corroborate that.

That damned helicopter is backing again, spoiling a Sunday evening.