Lancashire Police's helicopter – Oscar November 99 – has been kitted out with £190,000 of hi-tech crime-busting equipment, much of it paid for by criminal's assets.

The Lancashire Evening Post took a flight over Preston in the black and yellow chopper, nicknamed LASU (Lancashire Air Support Unit), to inspect the new kit, which includes a Spotter scope camera – supplementing the existing digital and thermal imaging cameras – and a digital management system.

A PA system and a large lamp, known as a Nitesun, are also fitted on board. The clamshell-style back door means the aircraft can also ferry casualties to hospital, with the observer replaced by a paramedic.

Opening the front doors reveals an array of wires, screens, headsets, A to Z maps and – more importantly – sick bags.

See a slideshow of images from the police helicopter here

Insp Andy Moore, who heads the armed support unit, said: "To me, the most significant factor is that much of the equipment has been paid for through the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA)."

Crew member, PC Richard Stanier, said: "The aircraft is extremely safe.

"It has two engines and even if both fail the rotors still work so we are able to make turns to help us land."

The Constabulary has operated an air unit since 1994, but the current chopper – a Eurocopter 135 – was bought in 2002.

In the last year alone it has completed 2,500 police tasks, caught 284 offenders, found 31 stolen vehicles and helped locate 32 missing people.

It has also helped officers recover nearly £2m of stolen property and drugs.

With scramble times of just four minutes from its base at BAE Warton, it is often first on the scene to reported incidents and is frequently sent aloft to assist in vehicle pursuits.

Police helicopters are usually crewed by three people – a civilian pilot, a police observer and a rear police crew member.

The pilot and observer sit up-front with eye contact on the ground.

The observer is responsible for controlling the camera systems, recording images which can be used as evidence in court.

The rear police officer assists in map-reading and strategic planning, allowing the pilot to concentrate on flying and the observer to focus on the camera and visual reporting.