National Police Air Service


The National Police Air Service is a police aviation service that provides centralised air support to the 43
territorial police forces in England and Wales, as well the three special police forces serving that area. It replaced the previous structure whereby police forces operated their own helicopters, either individually or in small consortia. The project was coordinated by Alex Marshall. West Yorkshire Police is the lead force and the service is coordinated from the NPAS Operations Centre, at Wakefield, West Yorkshire.

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 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:

History

Rollout

NPAS became operational on 1 October 2012, and was rolled out across England and Wales in stages. The service provides nineteen helicopters and four fixed wing aircraft, operating from fourteen 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 – as they are cheaper to fly and maintain. A new aeroplane base was created at Doncaster Airport, housing four fixed wing assets. This came online in early 2020.

Fleet