Bright lights, second city: Aerial photos of Birmingham at night
[gallery] These breathtaking pictures of the West Midlands lit up at night can today be revealed after they were released by the 'privileged' police crew that looks down on the stunning scenes.
The crew of the West Midlands Police helicopter has shared a selection of remarkable snaps taken from the sky with a special digital camera.
The region's weaving road network, crammed full of traffic in daylight hours, is almost deserted with just a few sets of headlights showing on miles of carriageway.
And the region's bustling landmarks such as the Merry Hill Shopping Centre are at a standstill, marked out only by the bright glow which helps the crew navigate the night sky. As the crew travels over the patch, often after being called on to help track down criminals on the run or missing people, they are treated to some of the best views available.
Birmingham's busy Spaghetti junction – which is clogged with cars in the day – lies empty but glowing at night, while in another photograph the lights of Birmingham Airport which guide planes in to land can be seen.
These are sights which members of the crew say they know they are privileged to see. Sergeant Dave Mitchell, who heads up a team of five pilots and 10 police observers along with his deputy, says taking to the sky at night can often be like another world.
"When it seems like you are the only people awake at night it can be quite odd. It is more like a dream world. It is an amazing sight really to see the region in darkness. On a clear night you can see as far as the Malvern Hills and when we lift up from our base at Birmingham Airport.
"You can see Sedgley sometimes as well.
"At night you are reliant on shapes and positions of building with lights on that help you navigate. You build up a mental map when you are flying in the day but at night it is a series of lights.
"You are looking for general pointers such as the Merry Hill Shopping Centre or Molineux and comparing that on a map you should be able to find what you are looking for. There are lots of vivid colours that you can see on buildings and fluorescent lights that build up quite a nice picture."
He added: "When you reach the edge of the West Midlands at Wolverhampton, it goes into total darkness it is like going to the end of the world. The boundary of the West Midlands is very clearly marked."
The crew of three which goes out each time the helicopter is called into action often spends most of its 1,400 yearly flying hours out at night. Officers work by torchlight to consult maps and say going out in the evening requires extra concentration.
To help guide them to the scene of incidents police officers will often shine a light up or put their police car lights so the helicopter can spot them. Sgt Mitchell says that in the Black Country, Dudley's Russells Hall Hospital and Molineux can always easily be spotted by the crew – and that football stadiums in general are always good to look at – particularly when they put lamps on to cover the pitch to help the grass grow.
Over in Birmingham there are a number of landmarks including Selfridges at the Bull Ring and the Mail Box.
Sgt Mitchell says: "Spaghetti junction is amazing," adding: "Working on the department is an absolute privilege, it really is. We know we are privileged people to be able to do this, to fly at any time, day or night is great. On a clear night you can see the moon and watching a large vehicle make its way through the streets is odd, particularly when you go through a dark area such as Forge Lane in Sandwell valley, when you can't see the roads but just the headlights from the car winding its way around."
The helicopter completes around 3,000 tasks a year including making more than 500 arrests. In the last 12 months the team has also found 27 missing people.
Crews cover the West Midlands but have an agreement with the forces in Staffordshire and West Mercia, which share a helicopter, so that whoever is closest to an incident will go.
