The National Police Air Service (NPAS) is a police aviation service that provides centralised air support to the 43
territorial police force A territorial police force is a police service that is responsible for an area defined by sub-national boundaries, distinguished from other police services which deal with the entire country or a type of crime. In countries organized as federations, ...
s in
England and Wales
England and Wales () is one of the three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. The substantive law of the jurisdiction is Eng ...
, as well as the three
special police forces
Special police usually describes a police force or unit within a police force whose duties and responsibilities are significantly different from other forces in the same country or from other police in the same force, although there is no consiste ...
serving that area. It replaced the previous structure whereby police forces operated their own helicopters, either individually or in small consortia (such as the
South East Air Support Unit).
The project was coordinated by
Alex Marshall (the then
Chief Constable of
Hampshire Police
The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the counties of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight in South East England.Hampshire Constabulary, 2012 Retrieved 27 April 2012
The force area inc ...
).
West Yorkshire Police
West Yorkshire Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the metropolitan county of West Yorkshire, England. It is the fourth largest territorial police force in England and Wales by number of officers.
History
West Yor ...
is the lead force,
[ and the service is coordinated from the NPAS Operations Centre, at ]Wakefield
Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 99,251 in the 2011 census.https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks101ew Census 2011 table KS101EW Usual resident population, ...
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...
.
History
Rollout
NPAS became operational on 1 October 2012, and was rolled out across England and Wales in stages. The service provides 19 helicopters and four fixed wing aircraft, operating from 15 bases.
NPAS suggested that the Police Scotland Air Support Unit join the service to reduce costs. 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.
Fixed wing operations
In response to slashed budgets, NPAS investigated the use of fixed wing aircraft, which are cheaper to fly and maintain. A new aeroplane base was created at Doncaster Airport, housing four fixed wing Vulcanair P68R aircraft. This became operational in early 2020.
The aircraft provide national coverage in England and Wales from their Doncaster base, with a range of , remaining airborne for up to 8hours.
, the aircraft had been deployed 1,564 times.
In November 2022, shortly after the closure of Doncaster Sheffield Airport, NPAS announced that the fixed wing fleet would temporarily relocate to Leeds Bradford Airport.
Criticism
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 (HMICFRS) 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. HMICFRS included the following observation in its press release:
Fleet
* Eurocopter EC135
The Eurocopter EC135 (now Airbus Helicopters H135) is a twin-engine civil light utility helicopter produced by Airbus Helicopters (formerly known as Eurocopter). It is capable of flight under instrument flight rules (IFR) and is outfitted with ...
(Airbus H135) - 15[Drwiega ''Air International'' October 2015, p. 126.]
** One additional H135, formerly on long-term lease with the Norwegian Police Service
The Norwegian Police Service ( no, Politi- og lensmannsetaten) is the Norwegian national civilian police agency. The service dates to the 13th century when the first sheriffs were appointed, and the current structure established in 2003. It c ...
, now serves exclusively as a training helicopter for new tactical flight officers
* Airbus Helicopters H145
The Eurocopter EC145 (now Airbus Helicopters H145) is a twin-engine light utility helicopter developed and manufactured by Airbus Helicopters. Originally designated as the ''BK 117'', the H145 is based upon the MBB/Kawasaki BK 117 C1, which b ...
- four
* Vulcanair P68R - four
Map of NPAS bases
See also
*Police aviation in the United Kingdom
Police aviation in United Kingdom provides British police forces with an aerial support unit to assist them in pursuit, surveillance and tracking. All police aviation in England and Wales comes under the National Police Air Service (NPAS), whil ...
*Law enforcement in the United Kingdom
Law enforcement in the United Kingdom is organised separately in each of the legal systems of the United Kingdom: England and Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. Most law enforcement is carried out by police officers serving in regional pol ...
*Police aviation
Police aviation is the use of aircraft in police operations. Police services commonly use aircraft for traffic control, ground support, search and rescue, high-speed car pursuits, observation, air patrol and control of large-scale public events ...
References
*
External links
*
{{UK policing units