The new Suffolk Police force helicopter was criticised today for being out of proportion with the county's crime levels.

Despite crime figures being on the increase, the Suffolk Police decision to buy an Apache Gunship helicopter is seen as wildly over the top.

But the county crime commissioner, Tim Passless, claimed the fearsome piece of kit was necessary to deter a worrying increase in apple scrumping and illegal pigeon shooting in the countryside.

<a href="http://www.suffolkgazette.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/apache-helicopter.jpg"><img src="http://www.suffolkgazette.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/apache-helicopter-300x187.jpg" alt="apache-helicopter" width="300" height="187" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-179" /></a><center><i>The Suffolk Police Apache Gunship helicopter</center></i><p>

The Apache gunship, better known for its use in armed forces around the world, including the US, has a terrifying array of weaponry available to the two-man crew.

They will be able to target Suffolk's notorious gangland leaders with a deadly array of cannon machine guns and missile systems capable of smashing any getaway car or stolen bicycle in an instant.

Now Suffolk residents, who spent years moaning about the noise of the old police helicopter hovering over towns and villages, will have to get used to automatic rounds being fired and missile strikes instead.

Marjory Dawes, a parish councillor from Orford, which has a deadly criminal culture known the world over, said even though she wanted a stop to crime, the Apache was way over the top.

She said: "Imagine walking the dog one morning and this Apache gunship suddenly appears over the tree tops of Tunstall Forest. It would be like a scene out of Full Metal Jacket or Platoon.

"And how much does this thing cost? Surely it would have been cheaper to keep the old bobby on his bike?"

The actual cost of the Apache is around £13 million, a figure Ipswich Tory MP Gen Bummer said was worth every penny. "The rural idyll of living in Suffolk has been shattered by rising crime. Only last week, a constituent of mine had a bottle of milk stolen from her doorstep.

"Never let it be said that the Conservatives are not tough on crime. And one the crime has stopped, we'll use the gunship to mow down Labour and UKIP supporters."