UK Police To Get Six New Helicopters

[SASless]

http://www.verticalmag.com/control/news/articlefiles/10239-1.jpg

The UK Government is funding the purchase of six new EC-135P2i helicopters.

They will be assigned to Police Units in Suffolk, Cheshire, North Wales, Cleveland, Midlands and Chilterns.

EC aircraft comprise 76% of the UK Police helicopter fleet.

[ShyTorque]

SASless, It's good to hear that at last there is to be some commonality and hopefully some aircraft same-type backup for the UK police.

[[email protected]]

So how long before we have a Police Air Wing or Police Air Force?:)

[nodrama]

Never. Too many 'little empires'.

[J.A.F.O.]

The UK Government is funding the purchase of six new EC-135P2i helicopters.

They will be assigned to Police Units in Suffolk, Cheshire, North Wales, Cleveland, Midlands and Chilterns.


And it's not quite as centrally decided as that sounds, either.

So how long before we have a Police Air Wing or Police Air Force?

Not soon enough.

[SASless]

Fit Winches to them and you have a real force multiplier.....

[misterbonkers]

are they in addition to the existing fleet or to replace aircraft currently operating?

[Helinut]

Oh, SASLess, you can't bring common sense to play here it is the UK, aviation and the Home Office............:ugh:

The police forces concerned have been working together for some time to get these aircraft. Most of the 6 are replacements - Cleveland is a special case involving the break up of an existing consortium. They were forced to upgrade because the CAA changed the rules so that they all had to have a SPIFR helicopter (or use 2 pilots) for night flying. They were encouraged to do a bulk purchase. EC said they would do a discount, if they were all the same. As usual the Home office will give a major part of the capital cost as a grant.

The Home Office has made a clear statement of policy on countless occasions that there will be national this or regional that for policing. The Chief Constables and individual police authorities just ignore them.......... But this time could just be different possibly.[But you and I will be retired long before it happens]

But really winches! They might then be useful for a host of things. Except that the CAA will insist on OEI OGE hover capability, so you will have to use children or similar on the winch.:*

It will be interesting to see how the Met fare with their EC145s, winches and fast-roping kit. I would guess they will eventually beat the CAA into submission, but only as a special case that won't apply to other UK police. :hmm:

The message from history is try and avoid a series of serious accidents when you introduce aviation into your operation. Otherwise you will get the Feds crawling all over you. The rest of Europe seems to do fine with the police operating state aircraft, but not here for now.

[jamier]

i believe the cleveland one is for us smoggies as the mackams and geordies didnt wana pay their part of the bill to keep the 2 helicopters up here and decided to run with one from newcastle airport instead of 1 at each local airport (NCL & MME) so our local authority is going to run with one for us to be based at teesside airport.

[Scott Diamond]

Any news if Lothian & Borders are getting one?

We here at Strathclyde seem to like rejecting Lothian's calls for a heli unless "urgent and lifethreatning" :E

[Helinut]

My guess is that the HO aviation piggy bank is now empty.

[cptjim]

Does anybody know who is giving this one a home?

MD 900 Explorer MSN 900-00128 (http://www.aeroboek.nl/900/00128.HTM)

Photos were taken in June last year and judging by the paint scheme it looks to be heading to Blighty!

[ppheli]

The UK story of six EC135s is old news. The new HeliHub.com website ran that story on 23rd February, well before Eurocopter put out a press release on it.

[EPacH]

900-00128 or N4006S is going to the MD European Support Center in Belgium where they have it sold to Russia. Don't know about the paint though?

[MightyGem]

As Helinut said, don't read too much into this. It's just 6 Police Forces whose aircraft were due for replacement, getting together to put in a bulk order thereby getting a substantial discount. So, don't go rushing to update your CV's as there are no new jobs being created.

[ShyTorque]

So, don't go rushing to update your CV's as there are no new jobs being created.

Don't think anyone was getting hopeful but I won't bother backdating my CV :p

[helmet fire]

Does the UK Govt also buy the HEMS / AA operators machines, or is watching a bad guy more important than saving a life?
I understand that Police have the night HEMS role: is that to be continued? Are they permitted to do night scene landings on NVG yet?

[Whirlygig]

UK HEMS and Air Ambulance services are operated through charities and it is those charities who provide the helicopters. There is very little night HEMS in the UK and only a handful of police helicopters double up as HEMS; I can't think of any police unit that operates night HEMS as standard. And no, they don't use NVG.

Cheers

Whirls

[tbc]

"I can't think of any police unit that operates night HEMS as standard."

I can.:8

[SASless]

Night scene landings on NVG's in the UK?

Best open up another Thread just for that answer and the explanation for why Night EMS in the UK is basically non-existent....and will remain so.

[Thud_and_Blunder]

"I can't think of any police unit that operates night HEMS as standard."

I can.

...I bet you can think of 2, can't you tbc? All well down on the South Coast?

[Whirlygig]

Aw c'mon you two - don't keep me in suspenders :}

Cheers

Whirls

[Helinut]

The Scottish HEMS is paid for by the government, although the aircraft are leased, I believe. England & Wales are paid for by charities.

2 police units do night HEMS: Sussex and Wiltshire. N Wales used to, but I believe may not or only occasionally now. There are limitations imposed, as you might expect. Neither of these HEMS Units uses NVG, I believe. (N Wales does use NVG).

All UK police units can do CASEVACs (which is last resort, saving life, land and scoop) stuff. Some do a fair amount, some hardly ever.

I am not sure where the police NVG Units are exactly, these days. They were initially limited to only using NVG above 500 ft, and not for landings (DUH), but there was a move to progress to landing on NVG at some point.

Nuts

[Coconutty]

Interesting ( AFAIK) that the NPIA agreement requires new Police helicopters to be NVG compatible, yet less than a handful of Units fly on NVG's.

Meanwhile does this mean that the "customers" who don't need to fly on NVG's, or have no intention of going down that road, end up paying more for spares - instruments / lighting etc. ??

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d129/coconut11/Coconutty.jpg

[SASless]

Whirls dear lady....the image of you in suspenders and hiking boots with that green spiked hair and Banjo in hand seems a bit frightening somehow!:oh:

[Whirlygig]

Well it seems both tbc and Thud are too coy to respond to a lady's request but thankfully, at least one gentleman has removed my suspense.

Does Wiltshire have a coast line? :}

Cheers

Whirls

[peterprobe]

They will be assigned to Police Units in Suffolk, Cheshire, North Wales, Cleveland, Midlands and Chilterns

Last time I was near the Cheshire unit they had a good old Islander.......... if they changing to rotary there must be the odd job going there for some one. Unless of course the drivers there are duel type rated. :8

[Coconutty]

They will be assigned to........

Makes it sound like the Home Office are going to buy these aircraft and just hand them over to the respective forces / Air Units mentioned, which is not quite right ....

The Home Office will provide a grant towards part of the purchase cost ( typically up to 40% ), but the force(s) involved then have to find the remainder.

Are Cheshire fully signed up now then ?

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d129/coconut11/Coconutty.jpg

[Thud_and_Blunder]

Oops - sorry Whirlygig, I really didn't mean to be rude but I hadn't checked back on this thread for a while. Am rarely accused of coyness and certainly don't wish to be known for my churlishness either - even if it be true. As for Wiltshire's coastline, I believe there are 29 flights/locks of it less than a league from the Wilts HQ...

My post was referring to the fact that tbc is currently on one of the 2 units and used to be a reg'lar fixture at t'other one too. In a previous job I used to enjoy shifts at both (covering for tbc's absence at the S Coast base) and thoroughly enjoyed the night HEMS tasks. I couldn't then (and still can't now) believe that our glorious Committee Against Aviation is so un-convinced of the worth of NVG that they forbid their use under these and most other circumstances. As someone else said earlier, for those of us used to using them under far more demanding conditions in the military, to be denied them now is actually legislating against situational awareness and, ultimately, safety.

[jayteeto]

Merseyside will be due a new helicopter soon, it would make some sense to join forces with Cheshire. Is the political will there?

[Whirlygig]

Sorry Thud but the Caen Hill flight ain't, with the best will in the world, a coastline :} Although I suppose if all 29 gates were left open, there would be a tidal wave in Bradford upon Avon :ooh:

Spurious clues aren't fair :)

Cheers

Whirls

[Heli-Jock]

Whywould Strathclyde reject Lothians calls? I was under the impression if the Police heli departed Glasgow for the Lothians it was being charged out at £1000 per hour?

HJ

[PANews]

That paint scheme on 900-00128 or N4006S may have been a change of plan.

When it was first noted there were suggestions that was off to Luxembourg as they have similar MD902s in similar colours [well dark blue/black and red rather than yellow].

Certainly Mesa, where is was painted up, appeared to have been somewhat in the dark over the whole thing.