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| Police helicopters 'miss thousands of incidents' in England and Wales | Police helicopters 'miss thousands of incidents' in England and Wales |
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| Nearly 25,000 police helicopter call-outs in England and Wales were cancelled mid-flight last year because the incident was over before air support arrived, a watchdog has found. | Nearly 25,000 police helicopter call-outs in England and Wales were cancelled mid-flight last year because the incident was over before air support arrived, a watchdog has found. |
| According to a report released on Thursday by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS), more than 40% of missions were turned around for that reason and, in one area, a police helicopter usually took more than an hour to arrive. | According to a report released on Thursday by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS), more than 40% of missions were turned around for that reason and, in one area, a police helicopter usually took more than an hour to arrive. |
| The findings came after a decade of cuts to the police air service that have left it ill-equipped to deal with the demands upon it, HMICFRS said. | The findings came after a decade of cuts to the police air service that have left it ill-equipped to deal with the demands upon it, HMICFRS said. |
| “With the number of bases being halved and the number of aircraft being cut by a third in the last 10 years, savings have primarily been made by cutting the service provided to forces rather than increasing efficiency,” said the HM inspector of constabulary, Matt Parr. | |
| “An inconsistent service means that many incidents requiring air support are over before a police helicopter can arrive. Moreover, we are concerned that the police service now operates insufficient aircraft to provide a consistently prompt response to incidents in all forces in England and Wales.” | “An inconsistent service means that many incidents requiring air support are over before a police helicopter can arrive. Moreover, we are concerned that the police service now operates insufficient aircraft to provide a consistently prompt response to incidents in all forces in England and Wales.” |
| The findings were detailed in a report on the National Police Air Service (NPAS), which was created in 2012 as a centralised body that was expected to bring greater efficiency. Each force in England and Wales had previously been responsible for its own air support. | The findings were detailed in a report on the National Police Air Service (NPAS), which was created in 2012 as a centralised body that was expected to bring greater efficiency. Each force in England and Wales had previously been responsible for its own air support. |
| The report found “high levels of skill, dedication and commitment” among the staff running the police air support service, but shrinking resources with which to run it and “fundamental problems” with how it was structured. | The report found “high levels of skill, dedication and commitment” among the staff running the police air support service, but shrinking resources with which to run it and “fundamental problems” with how it was structured. |
| The number of hours flown has decreased by 45% since 2009, while the numbers of helicopters and bases had decreased dramatically. | The number of hours flown has decreased by 45% since 2009, while the numbers of helicopters and bases had decreased dramatically. |
| More than half of police forces in England and Wales had to wait on average more than half an hour for a helicopter to arrive, the report found. The area with the worst coverage was Cumbria, where air support took more than an hour; London had the best, with about a 10-minute wait. | |
| Long response times have contributed to a decline in forces using air support, especially in police chases, the report found. | Long response times have contributed to a decline in forces using air support, especially in police chases, the report found. |
| One unnamed city force reported that the number of pursuits had more than tripled, from 100 in 2014 to 336 in 2016, due in part to a “criminal perception that the police no longer had ready access to helicopter support”. | One unnamed city force reported that the number of pursuits had more than tripled, from 100 in 2014 to 336 in 2016, due in part to a “criminal perception that the police no longer had ready access to helicopter support”. |
| Forces are charged according to the number of call-outs each year, with an average cost of £1,314 each in 2016-17, meaning the cost per hour of a flight had more than doubled since 2009. | Forces are charged according to the number of call-outs each year, with an average cost of £1,314 each in 2016-17, meaning the cost per hour of a flight had more than doubled since 2009. |
| The Metropolitan police had the highest bill for 2017-18, with £7.2m for 5,456 calls; City of London police had the lowest, with £2,628 for two calls. | The Metropolitan police had the highest bill for 2017-18, with £7.2m for 5,456 calls; City of London police had the lowest, with £2,628 for two calls. |
| There were 57,562 calls in England and Wales last year, of which more than 43% were cancelled after the helicopter had been dispatched. | There were 57,562 calls in England and Wales last year, of which more than 43% were cancelled after the helicopter had been dispatched. |
| The HMICFRS report called for a major overhaul of NPAS or its replacement. The service “in its current form is financially unsustainable”, it said. “It would be difficult to conclude that NPAS has a sustainable future in its current form.” | The HMICFRS report called for a major overhaul of NPAS or its replacement. The service “in its current form is financially unsustainable”, it said. “It would be difficult to conclude that NPAS has a sustainable future in its current form.” |
| Ch Con Dee Collins, air operations certificate holder for NPAS, said: “The journey to having a national police air service has been challenging for NPAS and we have learnt a lot along the way. | Ch Con Dee Collins, air operations certificate holder for NPAS, said: “The journey to having a national police air service has been challenging for NPAS and we have learnt a lot along the way. |
| “To deliver stretching national efficiencies, we have sought to change the expectations of police forces about the role of air support in policing and to do so has been a difficult process.” | “To deliver stretching national efficiencies, we have sought to change the expectations of police forces about the role of air support in policing and to do so has been a difficult process.” |
| Mark Burns-Williamson, the chair of NPAS and police and crime commissioner for West Yorkshire, the force that operates the air dispatch service, stressed that the sort of national collaboration for which NPAS was responsible was relatively new to policing in England and Wales. | Mark Burns-Williamson, the chair of NPAS and police and crime commissioner for West Yorkshire, the force that operates the air dispatch service, stressed that the sort of national collaboration for which NPAS was responsible was relatively new to policing in England and Wales. |
| “Many of the areas identified in the report are already recognised and there is ongoing work to address them,” he said. | “Many of the areas identified in the report are already recognised and there is ongoing work to address them,” he said. |