Crabby crabby crab crab...who's crabby?
The police don't fly IFR..who told you that. None of the police pilots have IR's except the met.
HEMS pilots might be IR's (because it is a Bond company policy) but don't fly IFR on the job - because they have to get the patient to the nearest hospital from a LZ in the middle of no-where...how do they let down on arrival at scene...IFR? How do they take off from a pub car park IFR?
The only people who use IR's in anger (in the emergency services world) are:
Ferry pilots. Repositioning cabs.
Air Ambulances (not HEMS) from dedicated landing sites to another dedicated landing site with landing aids.
Met police for some CAS flights.
RAF SAR.
Love the analogy re: Plymouth (now shut???). It seems all SAR's end at Plymouth hospital then.....
What's funny about using an ILS without an IR?
It's going to be interesting, though. Some new Long SAR bases will be on civvy sites, like Caernarfon for instance. So the crew are called out to a sinking ship 100 miles south west of Caernarfon in crap weather. They get airborne OUTCAS Climb to quads, self let down pick up x pax and return to, let's say: Liverpool for an IFR recovery. Land on and stay the night at Lvpl because they can't get to Caernarfon as the rules won't let them. So Wales is without a cab until the weather perks up?
Glad I had the IR ticket though...got me out of a pickle(not).
What needs to be done for SAR cabs particularly, is for the CAA to authorise the comprehensive use of GPS let downs under CAP999 (when it comes). That'll do away for any requirement to fall back on Procedural IR training, just good old GH IFP.
[Then if/when pilots transfer elsewhere in the company they can bolt on some Procedural refresher course for rig work etc].