There was some initial criticism from forces around the service provided by NPAS when it began operation. This was primarily due to the reduction in number of bases and aircraft available, following general cuts by the UK Home Office to police funding. This led to Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services conducting a case study of NPAS with its conclusions made public on 30 November 2017. The report commented at some length on the governance and funding of the service provided. The report specifically stated that there was no criticism of NPAS staff or its operational delivery. HMRCFRS included the following observation in its press release:[5]
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. 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.
However, the ability of NPAS to provide seamless provision of air support across force boundaries meant that it was able to provide a fast response and prolonged aerial coverage at a series of major incidents, such as the 2017 terrorist attacks in London and Manchester, and the Grenfell Tower fire.
History
Rollout
NPAS became operational on 1 October 2012,[6] and was rolled out across England and Wales in stages.[3] The service provides nineteen helicopters and four fixed wing aeroplanes, operating from fourteen bases.[7]
The National Police Air Service suggested that the Police Scotland Air Support Unit join the service to reduce costs.[8] However that did not materialise.
Base closures
In February 2015 it was announced that, due to a 14% cut in revenue over the following three years, NPAS would be closing ten bases over two years. As fixed wing aircraft are cheaper to fly, a new aeroplane base would be created. This new fixed wing base is at Doncaster Airport.[citation needed]
1 additional H135, formerly on long-term lease with the Norwegian Police Service, now serves exclusively as a training helicopter for new tactical flight officers.[10]
G-MPSC is one of NPAS' 4 EC145s that it inherited from forces that joined the scheme. The former Metropolitan Police helicopters have since been repainted and had the 'Metropolitan Police' markings removed, replacing simply with 'POLICE'. Vulcanair P68R - 4[9][11]
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