It's Nail, Not Nial !
You also seem to have misread the rest of my Post - I haven't "bashed" NPAS for this at all -
merely raised a few questions then after pointing out what happened,
as is my Democratic right as a UK Taxpayer
As it happens my PERSONAL Opinion is that this was NOT a good use
of Police Aircraft,
but then I don't know "all" of the facts.
LIke I don't know WHY they had to be transported by Air at all,
other than there was probably a Kidney waiting in Sheffiled
that would only last for a certain length of time.
Pre NPAS - YES the Transfer would have been easy to arrange,
if it was Life Threatening, as Crab has pointed out.
Post NPAS it would seem, at least for now, that this is still the case.
Do I think they would have requested NPAS if there were alternartrives ? -
YES - if "they" thought that they could get away without having to pay !
I'm sorry if you are bored by what you describe as NPAS Bashing,
but is it not actually a good idea to raise such issues and concerns for discussion -
for the BENEFIT of NPAS and those Police forces receiving their services ?
As I understand things this was NOT an immediately Life Threatening scenariio, so SAR were either not requested, or declined a request.
Why weren't Air Ambulances used ? - The nights are only just now starting to draw in, so no problems of them not being able to fly at night,
but I suspect there are still some Political differences of opinion between some of the various Air Ambulance charities and NHS Trusts,
so maybe that was why NPAS were approached instead.
What concerns me more than what I believe may have beeen an inappropriate use of the aircraft,
is that I would not be at all surprised if the costs are NOT passed on to the NHS, who will then see it as a Green light
to request such Transfers again and again - and who can blame them when they are also strapped for cash ?
NPAS is / was supposed to about providing a Cost effective and effficient service to the Police,
and if their Hours are going to be effectively wasted like this, while leaving large areas of the Country
with little or no Police Air Support, then I really do wonder what the thought processes were,
of whoever authorised those Flights ?
By all means utilise any spare capacity to provide additional chargeable services,
but when the level of UK Police Air Support has already been so drastically cut,
how can such Tasks be justified in non Life Threatening circumstances -
even if the costs are recovered ?
Nail