Swedish Police sends Bell 429 to Greece

The Swedish National Police is sending one of its Bell 429 helicopters to Lesbos in Greece as part of operation Poseidon Sea, coordinated by the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, Frontex. This is the first time the Swedish Police Wing participates in an operation of this kind.

The helicopter will patrol the Schengen border in the Aegean Sea during October and November this year. The task is to detect migrants on their way to Greece by boat, and assist in search and rescue situations by alerting of persons in distress at sea.

- We will serve as the outpost unit and facilitate early detection in order to scramble units that can save and manage the situation, says Rickard Henningsson, executive in charge of the operation at the Swedish Police Wing.

More than 20 people will participate in the operation. Five Swedes will be on the location simultaneously - a pilot, a flight tactical operator, a team leader and a technician on Lesbos, as well as a representative at the command centre in Piraeus.

A Greek coast guard officer will be onboard the Swedish helicopter during all the flights, since Greece is the host country. The operation is financed by Frontex.