This in from Police in their own words. Ed
Hampshire Constabulary has started operating as part of the new National Police Air Service (NPAS).
The service is being launched from today, October 1, and will deliver around-the-clock air support through collaboration among police forces in England and Wales by January 2015.
Under NPAS, Hampshire Constabulary will be sent the nearest available helicopter, wherever that may be.
Previously, if either of the South East Air Support Unit’s helicopters were out on operations or undergoing maintenance, there was no set policy to ensure another would be sent to assist.
Reduced costs
Under the new initiative, police air support will cost around 20 per cent less than the cost of the current provision and be more consistent across the country.
The helicopter fleet will be reduced from 31 aircraft to 25 plus three in reserve to provide coverage when other aircraft are undergoing scheduled maintenance, refurbishment or repair. This will increase overall air support availability nationally by eight per cent and the whole of Hampshire will receive air support within 20 minutes.
Three bases close to Hampshire borders
When the roll out is complete, there will be three helicopter bases positioned close to Hampshire’s borders in the North, West and East – Bournemouth Airport, Redhill Aerodrome in Surrey and RAF Benson in Oxfordshire – with emergency deployment managed by the Force Control Room, via electronic links to the NPAS despatch centre in West Yorkshire.
NPAS will be introduced transitionally, starting with the South East region today, and will be completely rolled out by 2015 with Wiltshire Police set to be the final force to join.
Assistant Chief Constable John Campbell said: “The National Police Air Service will be a strong, operationally resilient service and will come at less cost to the tax payer.
“Under NPAS, every force will have fast and easy access to air support unrestricted by force geography and, through collaboration, even if one helicopter is already out on deployment, another one will always be available.
“This is another step towards a more joined-up approach to policing and will ensure continuity in the quality of air support across all forces.”
