Rationalisation of air support is one thing, but trying to get a quart out of a pint pot is unreconcilable. The whole point of air support is a fast response, with the endurance to do what is needed when on scene. If the response times are increased by say 10 minutes, and some areas a lot more if you look at areas like East Anglia, then the offenders are going to get away. You could have one aircraft covering the whole of the UK, very cheap but a complete waste of time. So what is the point of air support? You either have an effective service that gives value for money by catching criminals, bringing pursuits to a safe conclusion, finding missing persons and finding all those hydroponic sites, or no air support at all. It is of course a no brainer given the safety issues of pursuits and the manpower needed for searching for missing persons. This can only be achieved by having the right number of assets in the right places giving an even coverage of the whole country. Chiefs need to understand that collaboration with neighbouring forces and the removal of boarders is not a threat but the answer for a better, more efficient and less expensive service.
IMHO.