And now for something different... and more on track.
The Bridport News in Dorset has just carried a long report on the local authority cuts to services and buried in there is a police helicopter cuts comment.
Dorset is now one of the lowest funded police forces in the country – and this calls for drastic measures, says the county’s chief constable. To deal with a shortfall of £6.7million next year the authority has announced dramatic cost-cutting measures to transform the force. The immediate measures to be put in place on January 4 include losing high-ranking police officers, continuing a recruitment freeze, changing shift patterns, scrapping geographical police divisions and possibly closing stations. In addition they will be flying less hours on the helicopter.
Little need to point out to the knowing that less hours means higher costs per hour but it is more pertinent to be asking some silly questions about what this means to the NPAS promise? Was it not just weeks ago that the ACPO Lead on Aviation and Chief Constable of Hampshire sacrificed 'his' fixed wing operation on the NPAS altar saying that the county would be covered by the helicopters of adjoining forces?
And is not Dorset one of those?