NPAS News 2018

[MightyGem]

Regarding Police pilots being allowed to fly past 60? Not popular with NPAS management apparently. It seems that they will decide if they can. Age discrimination actions in the future, perhaps?

It also seems that they are in denial about the findings of the HMIC report. Especially so that most of the points raised had been raised on an internal forum.

[Cabby]

Dyfed Powys looking forward to more cover from NPAS.
Police air support service questioned by Panel ? Llanelli Online (http://llanellionline.news/2018/02/16/police-air-support-service-questioned-by-panel/)

[MightyGem]

“This year we have paid roughly £250,000 for the air service and for the next financial year we will pay circa £200,000. In addition, the NPAS pays Dyfed Powys Police £50,000 a year for the lease of Pembrey air field as a forward operating base. So the net effect is that it costs the force approximately £150,000 – an efficiency saving compared to the old arrangements,”
Well that's certainly cheaper than the £1.2M they were paying before. Last year though(2016/17), they only paid £165,545 for 127 hours. Don'y know if that includes the rebate.

[MaxR]

It's only a couple of months since Dyfed-Powys were saying that they had an average response time of nearly an hour and only got an aircraft 30% of the time. Now they appear to have been told not to worry as the fixed wing aircraft will cover urban areas, so they'll get the helicopters more often. I hope that works out well for them.

[Thomas coupling]

And where will the nearest FW launch from. Add to that response time and diversion fuel and refuelling airports....Mmmmm what a clever solution we have folks.

[Coconutty]

A pertinent comment in that report :

"... we should see the helicopter in Dyfed Powys
perhaps more frequently." :rolleyes:

Nice to see they also have their fingers on the pulse, in considering
whether exisitng Air Bases might be used for Drone operations. :oh:

Coconutty

[MightyGem]

Well, the 2017/18 FY is nearly at an end, and NPAS have still to publish the 2016/17 Annual Report.

A complete rewrite after the HMIC report perhaps?

[Fly_For_Fun]

The fixed wing promised to take up operations after the closure of NPAS Wattisham has still yet to arrive on its first operational task after a year of no meaningful air support for Suffolk and Norfolk. The PCC, Tim Passmore, has admitted to the press that "We get a pretty rubbish service from NPAS" and sites this as the reason for "supplementing" the helicopter/fixed wing with drones.

Good luck Dyfed Powys.

[MaxR]

"Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence." - Robert J. Hanlon

[PANews]

This was not released to me... but it appeared on Air Med & Rescue last week... targeted on the new female editor perhaps? There is now a related press release on the NPAS website [in the wrong date order] but this is quite different...

The very PC line taken….?

To raise awareness of aviation opportunities among females and celebrate the accomplishments of women of aviation, the National Police Air Service (NPAS) are supporting Women of Aviation Worldwide Week (WOAW) (5 to 11 March) and International Women’s Day (8 March). According to latest figures, around five to six per cent of women are involved in aviation worldwide.
NPAS are running a series of online activities to celebrate WOAW and IWD such as Twitter question and answer sessions which involves a female member of staff being available to answer the public’s questions about what it’s like being a woman working in police aviation. Also several video clips of female members of staff answering questions about their role are being posted to encourage women to become part of the aviation industry.
Chief Superintendent Tyron Joyce, Chief Operating Officer for the National Police Air Service, said:
“This week we are celebrating our female members of staff who work in police aviation. I believe it’s important to encourage females who are interested in aviation to pursue careers and change their perception about it being a male only industry. NPAS provide police air support, which is a vital tool, to the 46 police forces of England and Wales from a national network of 15 bases. NPAS has 332 members of staff, 59 of which are female, ranging from pilots, Tactical Flight Officers, specialist personnel and Operations Centre staff. Policing aviation relies on the different skills and personal experience of our staff and I am hopeful the proportion of female personnel will continue to rise in the years ahead.”

[ShyTorque]

Some are hoping that a greater proportion of aircraft get to the job in time, irrespective of who flies them.

[MightyGem]

“This week we are celebrating our female members of staff who work in police aviation. I believe it’s important to encourage females who are interested in aviation to pursue careers and change their perception about it being a male only industry. NPAS provide police air support, which is a vital tool, to the 46 police forces of England and Wales from a national network of 15 bases. NPAS has 332 members of staff, 59 of which are female, ranging from pilots, Tactical Flight Officers, specialist personnel and Operations Centre staff. Policing aviation relies on the different skills and personal experience of our staff and I am hopeful the proportion of female personnel will continue to rise in the years ahead.”
Typical "we are all inclusive" PR stunt.

[PANews]

For those interested the first woman police pilot was probably Cora Sterling in Seattle in the 1930s. The first woman in a police rotary craft appears to be Gay Absolem in 1970 [Met Police contract] and NPAS got their first female pilot a year ago but she did not want to go public.

There were dozens of others who came in second, third, fourth etc....

[airpolice]

Policing aviation relies on the different skills and personal experience of our staff

Policing aviation, is entirely different to Police Aviation.

Perhaps if the government had the balls to concentrate on actually policing aviation, it might save more lives, than worrying about whether or not the pilots have the balls for the job.

In 2018 we really ought to be over this idea of making a fuss about women drivers. If a girl can fly, than why would it matter that she's a girl?

[MaxR]

332 members of staff, 59 of which are female



It is "of whom" Joyce; "which" refers to animals or objects, "whom" refers to people; see me after class.

[MightyGem]

The first woman in a police rotary craft appears to be Gay Absolem in 1970 [Met Police contract] and NPAS got their first female pilot a year ago but she did not want to go public.
We had a lady pilot up at Merseyside around 2010/2011, who came to us from Surrey ASU.

Lots of diversity at NPAS:
People | NPAS (http://www.npas.police.uk/about-us/people)

[PANews]

Well the time has come.... they have published their report for 2016-17....

http://www.npas.police.uk/sites/npas.police.uk/files/files/npas_annual_report_2016_17.pdf

Like me you may well find that the first few pages are full of the same basic facts jumbled up in a different order.....

Still it sets out the 15 base plan well..... except of course that it isnt a 15 base plan at all...

[MaxR]

The thing which stood out in the report for me was just how well they've done reaching Priority 1 calls within their target time of 20 minutes after lifting. But surely that's entirely meaningless - within 20 minutes of the incident happening, or even within 20 minutes of the request, might make sense but not within 20 minutes of lifting.

[MightyGem]

Well the time has come.... they have published their report for 2016-17....

About time. Thought we were going to get into the new FY before it was published.

So, the NPAS Chair and the Chief Con say that:
activity has remained high throughout the year with a total of 16,369 operational hours.

The report says that:
In 2016/17 NPAS did this 26,856 times through its 350 people delivering 18,000 flying hours.

Under an FOI request last year they told me that the total flying hours were 15432.

Re the Performance figures, you might like to read the HMICFRS report on NPAS to get a true sense:
https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmicfrs/wp-content/uploads/planes-drones-and-helicopters-an-independent-study-of-police-air-support.pdf

See they are still upbeat about the fixed wing. Should be coming into service about...now.

NPAS operate with a Just Culture which allows personnel to report safety concerns and operational impacts.
Hmm...word form the coal face is that crews are afraid of reporting for fear of being sent back to force. Brilliant flight safety presentations to the outside world with all the right keywords, but an SMS running on threats of return to force and disciplinary action. The mantra is, if you don’t ‘have’ to report it, don’t.

Oh, and I notice that they have 4.5 people for training. Will that be the top half, bottom half or just split down the middle. Bit messy though.

[tigerfish]

A very faint shadow of the service that air support units provided to Forces prior to NPAS.

TF

[Pan Euro]

I understand that the decision has now been made to close Boreham and move the aircraft temporarily to Lippits Hill. If we ever had a shadow of doubt that the lunatics were running the asylum they must now all be gone! What chance for the guys and girls on the ground now in Cambs, Suffolk, Norfolk and even Essex? This makes the decision to close Wattisham even more bizarre and shows yet again an arrogance not to listen to those that might just know what they are talking about. Lets hope that the PCCs from these forces ask difficult questions and bring this three ringed circus to an end.

[PANews]

The move, I understand from someone outside NPAS, is on April 20.

I have asked NPAS whether there is an issue adding the additional aircraft hours to Lippitts Hill [IL] as I thought there was an 'agreement' in place to limit the aircraft numbers and hours. I may be wrong. So far that enquiry is being blanked.

The move is about gravel. The control tower is going as they have run out of other places to dig gravel from on the site. Locals are after saving the 1940s concrete airfield market letters so there is not expected to be anything but dust there quite soon.

Question: Why, at the start of this 'PLAN' did NPAS intend to leave Boreham for Southend?

Did they know this day was coming and simply failed to plan for it?

Retaining Wattisham for a year or so until the fixed wing was ready and operational would have made sense. But then I do not hail from Wakefield.

The support of East Anglia at night now requires a fly in from either London or Husbands Bosworth. There are no night fuelling options closer than Lippitts Hill. [I refer you to night noise and the alleged agreement above].

No building has yet commenced at the Lippitts Hill replacement at North Weald so that site is a minimum of 3 months away - nearer 8 based on how long to took to sort Doncaster [footings January 2017 and final handover some time after my visit on 27 September]. So NW could be early 2019 on that basis.

Doncaster still has not had the 'pressure' of actually operating anything!

[MightyGem]

Re-arrange these words into a well known phrase or saying: up, a, couldn't, piss, in, brewery, arrange, a. :ugh::ugh::mad:

[airpolice]

Perhaps, the time has come for strong leadership.

Would it not be better, for everyone, to just accept the inevitable, and close all of the units?

Just decide that the the Police in England and Wales do not have Air Support, like they don't have many other things that Police in other countries have?

Instead of this fannying around pretending it's all good, and super efficient, just stop doing it. Wouldn't that make the savings calculated so far, seem like chicken feed?

As spending less money on Air Support seems to be what's driving this whole project, it is surely time to move up a gear and do that properly. West Yorks could keep one helicopter for the whole of England, so they still provide the potential for a service, for almost no cost, but retain the need for execs as well as a few cops and pilots.

One aircraft for the whole country, just like that big country to the north of England.

[PANews]

Just to update on the closure of Boreham. Message just in from NPAS.

It appears NPAS have managed to hold the gravel company off so the move on April 20 is now cancelled.... or at least on-hold. That should hopefully see them through to North Weald opening (and overcome the fury of the neighbours at Lippitts Hill).

At least until the next cricis!

[Thomas coupling]

The question from me, is: Who audits the NPAS? (Financially and more importantly Operationally)?

It strikes me this is all about smoke and morrors?

[Thomas coupling]

Well TC - do your homework, why don't you?

National Police Air Service needs urgent reform (https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmicfrs/news/news-feed/national-police-air-service-needs-urgent-reform/)

And then read the actual report:

Planes, drones and helicopters: an independent study of police air support (https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmicfrs/publications/planes-drones-and-helicopters-an-independent-study-of-police-air-support/)

And here's the poison chalice:

National Police Aviation Project Manager (https://tri-force.tal.net/vx/lang-en-GB/mobile-0/appcentre-4/brand-4/xf-d129d7db86c7/candidate/so/pm/6/pl/16/opp/6330-PS-302-C-National-Police-Aviation-Project-Manager/en-GB)


How can one improve performance when the last 6 years has seen streamlining of a once comprehensive force, down to the bare bones - if there is absolutely NO money available?:rolleyes:

[MaxR]

TC - They're obviously in a hurry: applications close on Easter Monday, they're shortlisting on Wednesday and interviewing on Thursday. I know that you describe it as a poison chalice but there are one or two people who could take this on and make a real difference. Hopefully this is a chance for someone to save air support.

[Pan Euro]

Reading the advert smacks of being written for just one individual !

[Thomas coupling]

MaxR - are you familiar with what has happened over the last 6 years? :ugh:

PanEuro - concur.

[MaxR]

TC - I am aware of what has happened and of the HMICFRS report which appears to be the driver for this new post. I cannot believe that what has happened so far can be allowed to continue and so am optimistic, perhaps naively, that it isn't too late for air support to be saved.

PanEuro - I agree with you that it appears to be written for the person they've already selected but that shouldn't stop you applying and giving them a surprise.

[Thomas coupling]

MaxR - you're obviously a glass half full person.

Let's put personalities to one side here (even though we all know the Chief Operating Officer NPAS is to blame).
The damage has been done. Aircraft have been chopped, Bases have been closed. There is NO going back because to improve on this situation requires money and buckets full.
The government are not going to reverse their mandate - which is to streamline the force and save money, is it?

Therefore, I ask you/anyone: What can be done by Cambs (Chair of NPCC Air Support) to ameliorate the situation when the problem is response times predominently?:rolleyes:

if forces are to be provided with effective air support
as efficiently as possible, arrangements need more fundamental reform. It would be
difficult for us to conclude that NPAS has a sustainable future in its current form

[MaxR]

I am a glass half full person but even I recognise that a part-time project manager post will not be the solution but it could be the start of someone intelligently defining the problem rather than continuing to destroy air support while pretending all is rosy. If someone could stand up, admit the way that it's been done was a balls-up, state that they were strapped for cash and would have to make do for a while and then come up with a strategy to use the current resources whilst looking to build on that in the future, that would be a start.

There must be ways to use what is currently in place more effectively, there must be ways to build a better future. The problem with getting NPAS right was never a matter of not having access to good ideas but more a matter of those in charge believing they had more knowledge and competence than they did.

[MightyGem]

20 hours a week? Obviously not that important.

[ShyTorque]

That report shows that many of the concerns voiced here some long time ago were totally justified.

i.e. seems that it's been acknowledged that it's a complete shambles*.

*Other descriptions are available. :mad:

[Sky Sports]

They want to recruit a CAA form 4 holder and pay them £24,000 a year................good luck with that!

[MaxR]

It's probably intended as a top-up to the pension of the person they've already selected - or am I now being overly cynical?

[tigerfish]

No - It comes with the Job!

TF

[Fly_For_Fun]

They want to recruit a CAA form 4 holder and pay them £24,000 a year................good luck with that!

As an ex Wattisham driver I could hazard a guess as to who would be in the frame for the job.

[chopper2004]

Well TC - do your homework, why don't you?

National Police Air Service needs urgent reform (https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmicfrs/news/news-feed/national-police-air-service-needs-urgent-reform/)

And then read the actual report:

Planes, drones and helicopters: an independent study of police air support (https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmicfrs/publications/planes-drones-and-helicopters-an-independent-study-of-police-air-support/)

And here's the poison chalice:

National Police Aviation Project Manager (https://tri-force.tal.net/vx/lang-en-GB/mobile-0/appcentre-4/brand-4/xf-d129d7db86c7/candidate/so/pm/6/pl/16/opp/6330-PS-302-C-National-Police-Aviation-Project-Manager/en-GB)


How can one improve performance when the last 6 years has seen streamlining of a once comprehensive force, down to the bare bones - if there is absolutely NO money available?:rolleyes:


Hmm, the job is down my neck of the woods...not bad for 20 hours a week lol. Hell I could add that to my full time running a business.

In an ideal world be nice if Wyton got an a/c back since 2012/13 we have been relying on the charity of the Wattisham and Borehamwood.

What happened to the super duper plan to relocate both 135 to a new facility at Honington to cover 3 counties?

cheers

[airpolice]

“However, we found some fundamental problems with the current collaborative arrangements for police air support, which have led us to conclude that urgent change is required – if not a fresh approach entirely. A system whereby someone in Lincolnshire paid 5p towards police air support last year, whilst someone in Cleveland paid £1.98, is one that needs a coherent strategy.

When a "business" as new as NPAS is in need of a fundamental rethink, then surely an arse needs kicking.

[Thomas coupling]

NPAS is 6 years old and has steadily gone down hill.
There will now be a race the bottom when they add the FW and sweet FA is done as a consequence of the HMIC report. The Cambridge advert is designed to address the HMIC report, which is farcical really because we don't need 40k pro rata to understand and stop the rot - more cabs and more money.
That ain't going to happen.
Meanwhile the boss of NPAS will probably be moved on via a promotion thinking he's done a cracking job and the CC W Yorks will continue with her head in the sand.
I can't wait to hear what the Aviation head of the NPCC will do to address the HMIC report.
FW will be the death knell of NPAS, the remaining PCC's who support NPAS now will simply roll over and accept defeat when it comes to response times.....:{:ugh:

[airpolice]

In particular, we recognise the major contributions made by the members of the NPAS National Strategic Board and especially by the current chief constable of West Yorkshire Police and the police and crime commissioner for West Yorkshire.

I can't help thinking this is a polite way to say, here are the people who screwed it. we recognise the major contributions made Indeed we do.

Nobody was better placed to stand up and shout, "This will not work!" but instead, we got slash and burn. Which (to be fair) is probably what they were asked to do.

[MightyGem]

since 2012/13 we have been relying on the charity of the Wattisham
Not any more. It's closed.

[MightyGem]

the minor issue G-MPSB suffered
Oooh. Tell us more, please. Pretty please.

[Pan Euro]

"we have been relying on the charity of the Wattisham and Borehamwood."


I think you mean Boreham:)

[Sky Sports]

A friend of mine who works in ops at Cambridge Airport has just told me that the rumour doing the rounds at the airport is that a police helicopter is going to be based there!!

[chopper2004]

A friend of mine who works in ops at Cambridge Airport has just told me that the rumour doing the rounds at the airport is that a police helicopter is going to be based there!!

Oooooer Matron / Maid Marion lol , :p:p steady on plus the FW Vulcanair asset from Sherwood Forest, not bad going:ok:

If it dies sorry :E:p:p does Come to fruition then I imagine they would share the same area as where Anglia One is on site.

Cheers

[MightyGem]

They are not happy in Wales:
The failings of the centralised National Police Air Service (NPAS) – the service which saw Dyfed-Powys lose its own police helicopter in favour of an England and Wales wide scheme – are to be reviewed by National Police Chiefs Council.

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/centralised-police-helicopter-service-financially-14626415.amp?__twitter_impression=true

[Thomas coupling]

Two things:

Cambridge Airport are not renewing any future aviation company contracts at their airfield forcing them to depart further afield. The reason is under wraps but the front runner for rumour is that Cambridge (Marshall's) will be selling off big chunks of their airfield for housing and very very soon.................. Police helicopter base in amongst a housing estate - I don' think so.

Secondly, Wales as a country - hasn't had a police air support for 3 years. Dyfed first then N Wales were next.
No wonder someone's kicking off that National Police Sir Support is one big joke!

[airpolice]

No wonder someone's kicking off that National Police Sir Support is one big joke!

Is that where you get a Knighthood for closing down a unit?

[MightyGem]

National Police Sir Support is one big joke!
From March's Police Aviation News, Essex's PCC commenting on their use of a drone:
“It will complement, not substitute for the helicopter. We get a pretty rubbish service from the NPAS and I think this will help reassure people – particularly in the north of the county.”

[tigerfish]

"National Police Air support is one big joke"

Yes! - and to think that I got the sack for saying that in 2011! But nobody wanted to listen.

TF

[The Nr Fairy]

I was surprised to see an NPAS aircraft overhead Pewsey a few nights ago. The coppers I mentioned it to (my surprise, they already knew the helicopter was there) in passing said it was unusual to get air support. In this case a sporty Merc had been stolen from Devizes and picked up nearby. The ensuing chase netted all 3 involved.

It's a shame that the combined ASU / HEMS from Devizes had to go in the NPAS mess, it was so much more regular a sight then. Hey ho. Progress, I suppose.

[ecdriver]

Anyone know the latest regarding fleet replacement and the current maintenance contract which I understand is up for renewal?

[tigerfish]

NRF, But in contrast, my old Filton based unit will soon be moving to a brand new combined base with the GW Air Ambulance at Almondsbury, just the other side of the motorway to the Big RAC building.

TF

[Sky Sports]

From March's Police Aviation News, Essex's PCC commenting on their use of a drone:Quote:“It will complement, not substitute for the helicopter. We get a pretty rubbish service from the NPAS and I think this will help reassure people – particularly in the north of the county.”
Essex's PCC thinks he gets a pretty rubbish service from NPAS despite there being FIVE helicopters based in his county. He should spare a thought for counties like Norfolk who don't even have one based in the county, or the surrounding counties for that matter.

[Fly_For_Fun]

Police and Crime Commissioner Tim Passmore said they would not replace the National Police Air Service (NPAS) helicopter, which serves the region from Essex and has regularly faced his criticism for the cost of “dead flying time” on journeys. In his statement he included a typical jibe at the helicopter service - “It will complement, not substitute for the helicopter. We get a pretty rubbish service from the NPAS and I think this will help reassure people – particularly in the north of the county.”
Essex's PCC thinks he gets a pretty rubbish service from NPAS despite there being FIVE helicopters based in his county. He should spare a thought for counties like Norfolk who don't even have one based in the county, or the surrounding counties for that matter.
It was the Suffolk PCC Tim Passmore

And he is right, but he should have fought a bit harder to keep the asset. In fact he didn't fight at all IMHO

[chopper2004]

Two things:

Cambridge Airport are not renewing any future aviation company contracts at their airfield forcing them to depart further afield. The reason is under wraps but the front runner for rumour is that Cambridge (Marshall's) will be selling off big chunks of their airfield for housing and very very soon.................. Police helicopter base in amongst a housing estate - I don' think so.

Secondly, Wales as a country - hasn't had a police air support for 3 years. Dyfed first then N Wales were next.
No wonder someone's kicking off that National Police Sir Support is one big joke!

Hmm, be very interesting to see what proposed areas are deemed to be sold off If you recall a decade or so ago, the orignal plan for Marshalls leave / pressure by the council to relocate to either Wyton, or share space with Mildenhall. Consquently the City peeps at ****e Hall could rub their hands in glee and build new houses with gusto. That has not happened thankfully and where could Marshalls relocate to then within the region? You can forget the two aforementioned bases

Or unless some bright spark thinks of Alconbury then will approach Huntingdon District again, followed by Urban & Civic / Saviles who own the airfield now. Get them to stop tearing up the runway on Alconbury Weald and stop all construction (bit late as several very large warehosues/offices almost hangar like in size and appearence have been built) plus a new village Then ask the remaining USAFE 501st next door if they would not mind their former digs the other side of the fence being a commercial airport/MRO. Laughingly that was a proposal for an air cargo hub 2 deacdes ago when the USAFE closed that side down and MoD flogged the airfield bit off. Ironically it was not all of Huntingdon, The STukelys opposition that killed the idea but the then BR before it got privatised. As BR was gonna pay for extension / loading area / freight terminal from the Huntingdon to Peterborough line which goes past the airfield. British Rail or WAGN pulled out, so i heard.

Also there is a desparation to build houses here..does not matter if it is in a tiny crack of where a dilapidated shack was. There is even talk of developers wanting to build apartments in a pub car park! For those of you who know my old neck of the woods, there is Histon, a village which is on the outskirts. Beside the (Mis on Un) Guided Busway (formerly a train line which linked the city to the other villages and up to Huntingdon) lies the Railway Vue Pub. Please look at it on google earth, and check out the car park because developers are itching to build on it, but let the pub remain as it is. Mates mate who lives next door but one pub says the developers have twice been unsuccessful in applying for planning application. He says there have been leaflets dropped in every villagers letterbox about this situation.

Everyone knows here in from the Mathematical Bridge to Cambridge City FC gorund and from Madingley to Ely Cathedral that Marshalls would not nor never bow down to pressure from ****e Hall to move/sell unless it was in their best (financial) interests. The two major bigwigs here are the Uni and Marshalls, nothing moves or breaks wind here unless either one says so.

Looking at what Marshalls offer -

1) Marshalls Business Aviation and Marshalls Executive Aviation -Corporate aviation is a big thing here, location wise its perfect considering the high tech industry / silicon fen around here.

2) C-130 work here anyone who operates a Herk from the Arctic Circle to the Mid East comes in.

3) Few flying clubs including Aeromega Helicopters, Cambridge Flying Club, Cambridge Aero Club (Tiger Moth pairs)

4) BA Cityflyer uses the runway here for their London City Embrer E170 crews to practise their approaches every other weekend to emulate the small tight confines practise of London City.

5) Anglia One is based here

etc etc

Admittedly the mil aviation business for Marshalls maybe a tad slow , and they closed their Defence vehicle place at Mildenhall (just opposite Folly Lane / spotters area on the south side of runway 29 of RAF Mildenhall) the other year.

Anyhow with all the expansion or implosion here, logic dictates be nice to have NPAS presence here.

cheers

[MightyGem]

As it's not April 1st, I guess might be pukka:
Aer Lingus jet photobombs the royal wedding over Windsor | Daily Mail Online (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5752407/Aer-Lingus-jet-photobombs-royal-wedding-gives-police-cameraman-videoing-shock.html#ixzz5GKtFpWX6)

[MightyGem]

Some good(?) stuff here on NPAS in May's Police Aviation News:
http://www.policeaviationnews.com/Acrobat/265PANMay2018.pdf

[SilsoeSid]

(page 9)
Actually, WMAO was the first (UK Police) P2 to be purchased :ok:

[ShyTorque]

Is there any update on NPAS's Vulcanair P68 fixed wing? The hangar was competed a long time ago, but nothing has been seen operating from Doncaster as yet.

Did they do a landaway and are still looking for AVGAS?

[Thomas coupling]

They don't meet the op requirements apparently. Can't put them into service due to their fuel load and endurance.
Millions down the drain.

[MightyGem]

They don't meet the op requirements apparently. Can't put them into service due to their fuel load and endurance.
Millions down the drain.
It beggars belief if that is true.

I hear that NPAS have decided that civilian TFOs are no longer a good idea. They get paid more or less the same as a PC and don't "think" like a bobby on the ground does.

Rumour also has it that there is a contingency plan to go down to 5 "priority" bases in the event that serviceability falls below a certain level.

[Non-PC Plod]

"I have to point out that the money certainly did not go down the drain!

Obviously it went into someone's pocket, and Air Support got nothing to show for it."

How very......African? Not really how we expect contracts to work in UK!

[ShyTorque]

They don't meet the op requirements apparently. Can't put them into service due to their fuel load and endurance.
Millions down the drain.

Is that confirmed as true?

Funny old thing...what were some of us saying at the start? :ugh:

[PANews]

If it is true that the P68 does not meet requirements there is a conundrum in that it has passed the EASA FIKI.

If it has FIKI I would assume it meets all aspects....and yet the suggestion [well much more than that] is that there is an element of the flight envelope it does not meet.

So a suspicion is emerging that face saving might be the order of the day.

As FIKI is a small part of the mission there is at least a possibility that the aircraft could enter service and do most of the mission and thereby avoid entering the 'missing' parameter. Avoid flying on damp and cold winter days and nights.

That would save face and it is unlikely to emerge for a few years in which time a replacement airframe might be acquired.

I accept this theory is full of holes but on one hand I understood that there was not a snowballs chance of it meeting the spec and yet another source has suggested that it will enter service later in the summer.

[Thomas coupling]

They're fitting bigger fuel tanks.

[Fly_For_Fun]

They're fitting bigger fuel tanks.

I take it that there are no issues with maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) and maximum landing weight (MLW)?

[PANews]

They are micromanaging the crew, shorter, leaner......

[misterbonkers]

This thread is like reading the daily mash

[Thomas coupling]

And to make matters worse: The aircraft don't seem to meet the EASA minimum rate of climb requirements for OEI.
They could always use them as temporary portacabins I guess.

[ShyTorque]

What a calamity - and they can't claim they weren't told this couldn't work.

[tigerfish]

Its been a total cluster**** from start to finish! They refused to listen to those of us who were saying that they were working from a flawed principle back in 2010, and they continued to work from their flawed plan ever since. The whole concept of the successful years prior to 2010 was to get the asset overhead the scene of the crime or incident, within 10-15 minutes so that there was a good chance of making a difference to the outcome. 33 aircraft operating from 27 bases provided that possibility, and perhaps even more importantly gave the hard pressed guys & gals on the ground additional confidence. The public also, were re assured that the Police were there to protect them, and the helicopter overhead was a symbol of that presence.

Today with the fleet down to just a few aircraft, that almost instantaneous presence overhead almost never happens. The distances to travel are just too great and the deterrent factor has been lost. Any Practical Police Officer with experience of what was needed to produce a good TFO would have told you, that they needed to be an experienced Police Officer with an in depth knowledge of their area. It is true that they needed to be a proven thief catcher and possessed the character to do that from the air. There could never be any real savings from training a civilian to do the job because the skills and abilities required demanded a salary very similar to that of a mid service PC. The loss of flexibility was actually a negative factor.

The NPAS disaster was bound to happen as it has. The report that gave it life was written by someone with no knowledge of what had made UK Police Air Support into the the most effective operational tool that it was. It could have been made better by centralised command and control delivered on a Regional basis to ensure wide cover of the asset. There were huge savings to be made from centralised training, Insurance and maintenance contracts. Standardisation of aircraft too!
But no the only mantra to be followed was that of cutting slashing and burning all that had been achieved. The Concept of air SUPPORT was forgotten. The idea of being able to identify and pinpoint the criminal was no longer important, - just save money.

Sadly today, because the Police Service has been almost withdrawn from our lives the criminal has realised that there is nothing to stop him anymore and he is free to do what he wants! Driving standards have plummeted because there is no one stopping and advising. Violent crime is rapidly increasing, again who is there to stop them? We lost it, - because no one could see the folly of the Mantra "Just save money , nothing else matters". NPAS epitomises that thought process.

[airpolice]

Tigerfish, you have summed it up well.

What IMHO also needs said is that as a taxpayer, I am inclined to think that what has been done to Air Support, is not all bad.

Even if you ignore the effects of the Banking Bastards having the country over a barrel, the public purse is not a magic money tree. We need value for money, and through no fault of the troops, the money spent on the ASU was not providing that.

Conviction rates and more importantly, sentencing policy, has undermined the Police Service, and eroded respect for law and order. To use a helicopter, a dozen cops, a dog and damage two Volvo estates, in order to apprehend a scrote who is back out to re offend on the same day, and nine months later gets a suspended sentence or Community Service Order, is piss poor value. When the courts are going to let them straight back out to do it again, instead of locking them up for five years, why bother?

[tigerfish]

AirPolice, I understand where you are coming from, and in many ways I too despair at the weak sentencing policies, that have resulted in a situation where crime is encouraged to foster. But there is a deeper picture to bear in mind, if we keep stopping and arresting those blighters that were damaging that Volvo, sooner or later they will get the message or get locked up. The only way of stemming the current crime wave, especially Violent crime, is to increase the arrest and detection rate! The Criminal has cottoned on to the fact that more than ever before, he now has an open Goal, - today there is almost nothing and no-one to stop him, - the criminal currently has the freedom to operate with very little chance of being caught That simply has to change and change quickly.

This situation was brought about by Politicians who thought that as crime was going down a few years ago, they could remove most of the Policing that had achieved that, and that the Criminal would not notice that there was no policing any more!

TF

[MightyGem]

In a nutshell, tigerish, in a nutshell.
:D :D

[chopper2004]

As all knows that in Cambridge, the main Police station is closing in 3 years due to the cells are not up to Home Office Standards. No firm plans to where the new station will be relocated, one idea is to make do and share space with East of England Ambulance Service.

Anyhow in another post I mentioned GB Helicopters AS355F-NP with camera mount was up on thursday afternoon then returned to film over Cambridge as late as 2100 hours...which caused concern to local public due to it hovering over Parkside Police station thus automatically assumed it was one of NPAS's finest lol. i saw it fly over one's office space garden and hovering over city center (15 minute walk / 5 minute drive dependent on traffic jams).

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/839/28770947237_c98666d583_k.jpg

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/844/28770944787_c1c2940102_k.jpg

Apparently according to Cambridge Evening News, the police spokeperson said it was pre arranged to hover over our lovely police station with permission and nothing to be alarmed about but no reason given...why it was above most of the day and night.

cheers

[airpolice]

Apparently according to Cambridge Evening News, the police spokeperson said it was pre arranged to hover over our lovely police station with permission and nothing to be alarmed about but no reason given...why it was above most of the day and night.

That's serious endurance for an AS355 of any model.

[chopper2004]

That's serious endurance for an AS355 of any model.

it did take a break between the afternoon and evening session by pit stop at EGSC.

[MightyGem]

Is there any update on NPAS's Vulcanair P68 fixed wing? The hangar was competed a long time ago, but nothing has been seen operating from Doncaster as yet.

Did they do a landaway and are still looking for AVGAS?
Now due in service sometime in 2020. :rolleyes:
The acceptance process has commenced for fixed wing delivery, the 4 fixed wing aircraft are due to be fully operational in January 2020 however this is subject to a lengthy acceptance process.

https://www.westyorkshire.police.uk/sites/default/files/foi/2018-08/foi_2465-18_npas_july_2018.pdf

[ShyTorque]

MG, Well they're certainly not giving much away in that report, are they?

[MightyGem]

Would you expect anything else? :ok:

[ShyTorque]

Would you expect anything else? :ok:

Not a chance. It's been smoke and mirrors all the way because the system was a failed idea from the outset. Whoever sanctioned the ill-conceived purchase of these fixed wing certainly needs to be held to account for it. It's the equivalent of buying something like Morris Minors as replacements for traffic cars.

[PANews]

And at the bottom of the first page they have moved the goalposts..... in a big way.

We now have a new date of birth of NPAS of 1/11/2017.

That means the stuff created before the national borderless service can be ignored..... which means that the HMIC report sits in a time period where the NPAS was not yet complete so perhaps this might be an excuse for that report to be discredited?

Where did all the years go...?? :)

The links to attachments that are allowed under the FOI request reveal two letters that are now a year old and appear to suggest that the West Yorkshire hierarchy were on their knees trying to get an audience with Amber Rudd, the then Home Secretary [or her successor] to plead for cash for newer helicopters. Of any meeting acheived we have no details and there are large redactions anyway. Perhaps fortunately in the light of the attempt at a rebirth noted above they do admit to being a wee bit older than the November 2017 date in the text!

So, what organisation would accept a 2-3 year delay in the acceptance of a new airframe especially when it has employed at least two fixed wing pilots on significant remuneration at least three years before the newly announced service acceptance date? I thought they were short of money? One wonders whether the pilots will be eligible to retire before the P68 arrives in service.

[AlphaEast]

@NPASBoreham tweeted earlier announcing their closure.

Today marks the end of an era at Boreham. 29 years of police aviation, yet NPAS only announced the closure to the public on the day.

they also claim they're moving crew and aircraft to lippitts hill, but then they say their aircraft is going into maintenance. London already seems congested with lots of aircraft there, 2 145s and a 135 already, there surely isn't capacity for 4 aircraft to operate from there? East Anglia's coverage just got even worse... Is Cambridge still being looked into?

[PANews]

Lippitts Hill has plenty of space for the helicopters. Several times in the past it has looked after way more than the four projected at the moment .... and that is when the Boreham machjne arrives there. High point was probably three Bell 222 and three As355N but that was ages ago. Support to the Olympic fleet was brief but potentially larger in sheer numbers.

the issue may be that the two hangars have been given over to Airbus maintenance and are not fully under the control of NPAS.

Bigger issue is the neighbours. They were “assured” about the size and rate of movements and that now looks to be in danger of not being met. The possible situation there is that sorties have decayed so much that adding Boreham does not breach the assurances given.

there is no sign of any building of NPAS North Weald just yet so this “temporary” situation is not quite that at all.

[airpolice]

I think they mean it as a temporary measure, in the sense that it will only be until they close NPAS down completely.

[tigerfish]

The new joint Police/Air Ambulance unit being built at Almondsbury just outside Bristol is nearly finished. The Air Ambulance is well supported financially by local people and is not in danger. Never can be sure of the NPAS side of things though. My old unit at Filton just a memory now.

TF

[PANews]

The new joint Police/Air Ambulance unit being built at Almondsbury is up for sale. It seems that BAE do not want to be the land agents of a small parcel of land next to the M5.

I am unsure whether it is an open sale or simply directed at one of the tenants. Anyway GWAAC already have HELP funding towards the reported £1,25 million price tag.

I await detail from GWAAC but NPAS are not in the buying business and simply expect to be tenants of GWAAC rather than BAE.

[airpolice]

I can see it now... the Charity Police Helicopter.

PCSOs rattling tins outside Tesco.

[tigerfish]

The new joint Police/Air Ambulance unit being built at Almondsbury is up for sale. It seems that BAE do not want to be the land agents of a small parcel of land next to the M5.

I am unsure whether it is an open sale or simply directed at one of the tenants. Anyway GWAAC already have HELP funding towards the reported £1,25 million price tag.

I await detail from GWAAC but NPAS are not in the buying business and simply expect to be tenants of GWAAC rather than BAE.

PANews, where did that come from? It is certainly not in Public Knowledge around here, and as one of the Local Councillors and one who helped set this move up, I would have expected to be informed. BAE wanted this unit off of their airfield which they had sold to a developer, - they actively assisted in the search for a new location nearby and approved of the choice.
With that in mind it does now appear rather strange that the Unit is up for sale before it is even completed. Are you suggesting that the Unit will not now open as envisaged?

TF

[Slimmy]

PANews, where did that come from? It is certainly not in Public Knowledge around here, and as one of the Local Councillors and one who helped set this move up, I would have expected to be informed. BAE wanted this unit off of their airfield which they had sold to a developer, - they actively assisted in the search for a new location nearby and approved of the choice.
With that in mind it does now appear rather strange that the Unit is up for sale before it is even completed. Are you suggesting that the Unit will not now open as envisaged?

TF

Very much public knowledge: www.buyourbase.co.uk

[tigerfish]

Yes now confirmed by my own enquiries. We were originally told that BAE wanted to move both the Air Ambulance and the Police, off the old airfield which had been sold to developers, and that their continued presence on the old airfield site was not accepted by the purchasers,- (the developers). BAE at that time keen to close the sale, assisted the search for a new base and a planning application was put forward. Hotly opposed by the local people living in Almondsbury. The proposed site was eventually granted planning permission, and work began in the early part of this year, now almost completed. The two units are scheduled to move in in about October. At some point BAE the owners of the new base, appear to have decided that they didn't want to become landlords, to the new combined facility, and put the base up for sale. The Ambulance trust are trying to raise the £1.25 million to secure their share, but it is still unclear where that leaves the Police side.
All very unsettling for the staff of both units, who until fairly recently appeared to think that their future was secure.
The People of the greater Bristol Region are digging deep to support their very popular Air ambulance, and are still supporting "THEIR" Police helicopter. Most do not understand that it has not been theirs for some years now, because after NPAS took over the unit remained at its original base. The public expected it to move to the new joint base at Almondsbury, but some now wonder if that will happen. It is not yet clear if the £1.25 million that the Air ambulance are trying to raise is the total cost of the new site, and that they will then become the owners of the base, sub letting half to NPAS. Hopefully clarity will soon be possible.

TF

[Fly_For_Fun]

Hopefully clarity will soon be possible.

TF

Good luck with that.

[PANews]

Looks like GWAAC are not in the business of open talking.

I requested clarity at the start of the month from GWAAC and NPAS and [surprisingly] the latter were straight back to say 'not me mister' .... they cannot afford to be buying into land deals like that now, and may never manage it ever I guess.

Nothing yet from GWAAC. I was out of country so it was e-mail rather than phone calls at the moment. I remain uncertain whether this is a general sale or something specific for GWAAC, it looks like having the potential of the highest bidder pushing up the price so £1.25M could grow.

But...... looking at the original press story from the HELP Appeal Charity who put up the money [£300K] and the website I am a little incredulous on the tactics. www.buyourbase.co.uk (http://www.buyourbase.co.uk/) and the press story are saying that HELP is 'buying' the helipad at Almondsbury .... because that is what they do.... fund helipads on hospitals etc. They have not, until now bought 'a helipad' especially one that is to be jointly operated by for GWAAC [HEMS] and NPAS [Police] and is in any case being bought and equipped already by BAE. This smells of misrepresentation. Then add the blurb on the web site about the WW1 hangar, leaky roof etc and they are, with tears in their eyes, asking for a new base...... a new base they already have! https://helpappeal.org.uk/news/300000-donation-to-fund-helipad-at-gwaac-new-air-base/

Maybe that is why they have been a little slow in their reply.

[Anna Perry GWAAC]

Hi all, I'm Anna Perry the CEO of Great Western Air Ambulance Charity. I thought I would try to address any questions you have outstanding, and answer any new ones. We have responded promptly to all emails we have received asking us for information. If people haven't received our replies, please let us know so we can re-send them or try to see what the problem is.

The entire Almondsbury base is being bought by GWAAC for £1.95m. This is a fixed price as we have exchanged contracts with BAE, who are selling it to us.
We are running a public appeal for £1.25m to help us buy and equip the new airbase. We will meet the remainder of the cost from our reserves. We still desperately need public support in our fundraising efforts.

The public appeal was launched on 9th July and was reasonably well covered in the media. We were unable to discuss the purchase publicly before then.
The HELP Appeal have kindly donated £300,000 to GWAAC to help us buy the new base.

NPAS and GWAAC will take up tenancies in the new base during October, all being well. NPAS will become GWAAC's tenant when the sale of the base to GWAAC completes. We don't have a date for this yet.

Press releases are naturally succinct and focus on what the general public are likely to be interested in, but none of the above is secret or has been intentionally held back. If you have any other questions, then please let me know. Thank you to everyone on here who supports GWAAC and helps spread the word about what we do.

Many thanks,
Anna Perry, GWAAC CEO

[tigerfish]

Well that really is good news Anna, and at last we have some clarity on the subject and very positive news. Thank you!


TF

[PANews]

Over the last two days there have been management changes within the upper echelons of NPAS.

OD is now designated as the Temporary Chief Operating Officer for the National Police Air Service as confirmed by Linked In.

[tigerfish]

Thank Goodness! Whilst I have had serious concerns about Ollie's commitment towards Police Air support, my personal contact over the years have made me believe that in the end he would come good. Perhaps he might yet prove that that belief had some substance! Ollie, prove that confidence was well worthy!

TF

[MightyGem]

I see NPAS are looking for pilots. They are going to need about 10 over the next year due to age 60 retirements.

[timex]

I see NPAS are looking for pilots. They are going to need about 10 over the next year due to age 60 retirements.

last I heard it was a few more than that, also advertising for 2 at Hawarden.

[jayteeto]

MG
Scotty just took early retirement

[MightyGem]

Yes, I know. Very sensible. :ok:

[PANews]

In the wake of the Simon Byrne [Chief Constable of Cheshire] bullying allegations this spun onto my desk today.

It is mostly news to me .... so no comment but I am sure there may be some sharp intakes of breath.

https://neilwilby.com/2018/09/27/police-helicopter-boss-goes-off-the-radar/

[airpolice]

NPAS is the first truly National Police Collaboration created under a Lead Force model and is widely regarded as a major accomplishment.

© Neil Wilby 2015-2018. Unauthorised use, or reproduction, of the material contained in this article, without permission from the author, is strictly prohibited. Extracts from, and links to, the article (or blog) may be used, provided that credit is given to Neil Wilby, with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

In keeping with that footer on the article linked to, I have included it to be sure that you all know who provided the words...is widely regarded as a major accomplishment

[Thomas coupling]

Well, well.

What goes round comes round Tyron! No smoke without fire and after all these years, your past has caught up with you.....it seems.
A lot of people will be glad he's gone. One person on here in particular (if he still reads Pprune).
The big question now is - can Ollie turn this slow motion car crash around before it passes the point of no return?
At least an aviator is now in charge of an airline business!!
Good luck OD.

[PANews]

WYP will need to advertise the job but I suspect it will be seen as a poisoned chalice after what happened to the two previous incumbents.

that gives OD time.

there is an option lurking out there that they can directly employ a person from industry and parachute them in to the role in the rank of Superintendent. That person could be someone well versed in police aviation - there are one or two about I can instantly think of that are currently spare but the primary need is that they get on with OD and that means that the friendship of both parties needs not to have been damaged by recent events. A lot of people got trampled and it depends on who did the trampling.

[Fly_For_Fun]

Well, well.

What goes round comes round Tyron! No smoke without fire and after all these years, your past has caught up with you.....it seems.
A lot of people will be glad he's gone. One person on here in particular (if he still reads Pprune).
The big question now is - can Ollie turn this slow motion car crash around before it passes the point of no return?
At least an aviator is now in charge of an airline business!!
Good luck OD.

From one of the Ex Wattisham drivers I concur.

[tigerfish]

"NPAS is the 1st Truly National Police Collaboration, created under lead force model, and is widely regarded as a major accomplishment."

What a total load of Horlicks that statement is! The 27 odd forces that comprised UK Police Aviation, prior to NPAS were a far more efficient delivery machine to the bobby on the beat than NPAS could ever hope to be. The model for UK Police air units was well understood and practised Nationally, subject to Home Office inspections, and staffed by enthusiastic and dedicated UEO's and unit members. Whilst it must be admitted there were some gaps in coverage, generally speaking coverage was good and response times effective. The co-operation between units was also good and UEO's were in almost daily contact with each other, in order to provide best possible coverage.

Then came along NPAS. We hoped that it would increase efficiency but instead it did just the opposite. The bases and the fleet were cut to the bone and the life blood of enthusiasm strangled. Instead of the highly motivated UEO's managers were no longer driven by a desire to catch criminals, but more about their own career tick in the boxes.

UK Police Aviation, once one of the best in the world became a joke, - a very sad joke. It wasn't the guys that made up the crews, - it was the top level management! I true modern disaster an example of how to turn something that worked well into something that didn't!

TF

[Thomas coupling]

He's gone now Tigerfish. The man who was the catalyst for change (allegedly by bullying) has been unceremoniously discharged of his duty and hopefully along with his collaborator the CC.
The bad news is that he got promotion out of desecrating a once proud 'airforce'.
It will be interesting to learn what conclusion the Cambridge Constabulary come to after they complete their review as a consequence of the Home Office audit last year on NPAS (which I believe was the start of Tyron's downfall). Now that he can no longer extend his bullying tenticles (nearly said testicles!) across the country, will they feel safe to now re-write the last paragraph in light of the latest changes?
More importantly and in light of government cut backs - will NPAS survive to fight another day or will this be the final nail in the coffin?
Is Ollie's job description, as INTERIM COO, to dismantle what's left of the machinery and cast Police Air Support into the past?

[Thomas coupling]

And they're off:
Boss of NPAS in alleged bullying recriminations (https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/7429548/police-helicopter-boss-conduct/)

[PANews]

I think it is unfair to blame the whole thing on Tyrone.

True he was the tool by which much had been slashed and damaged but he was not the architect of the mess.

The plan upon which his [alleged] bullying may have been based was not of his doing. That must go way back to 2012 when perhaps he was nowt but a lad. There is going to be a smokescreen laid over this and I guess he will be blamed for all and sundry when the real allegtion at his door is about good old fashioned overbearing conduct.

The plan that he wilfully imposed was that of ACPO and some Mandarins at the Home Office. If we try very hard we can recall some of the names but they were not really important or memorable people [despite their Knighthoods and QPM's dished out to them] and they were so sure of themselves after some other wide ranging critisims they now hide their activities under another title.....NPCC. Who on earth, in a supposedly sane moment chose to accept West Yorkshire as the centre of the rotary earth?

Good job The News of the World went away or we would be reading ten pages on this tomorrow! Still it was a page 22 story today so not that bad really (I bought the (Sun) paper specially to Your Honour - not my usual cup of char).

[Thomas coupling]

B,
I don't think you're close enough to the hub to realise/recognise that this person was the engine of NPAS.
He allegedly bullied those below him and he allegedly gave the impression all was well to those above him. In particular he appeared to have had an uncanny knack of getting his CC onside everytime. He was a one man band and anyone who stood in his way - appears to have been removed. Many of those complaints may testify to this and all of the financial payouts were as a direct result of resistance to his plans and them being expelled.
It was only when the HMIC audit got its teeth into this mess, did the problems surface.
Be under no illusion - he was given a brief by the HO to cut and slash costs. This became his personal agenda and on a mercenary basis. With a met background - operating in West yorks must have been the perfect setting for his staff and peers to perceive him as a pariah.
Can NPAS recover..................................

[Nessie1]

New to this and wondered why Scotland only has one police helicopter base with one helicopter in Glasgow when there are 15 helicopter bases with a lot more police helicopters in England?

Scotland has large cities such as Edingburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen to look after and we only have one helicopter?

Is there more crime down south, or did the English and Wales police chiefs decide they all wanted a police helicopter at the time?

The Scottish police helicopter has its own twitter page which shows how its done :)

[tigerfish]

TC, Total agreement there. NPAS was doomed from day 1 by a home Office that quite frankly didn't understand the concept of Air support. They took the accountant's viewpoint that only looked at the bottom line, - how much it was costing! They chose to ignore its effectiveness in controlling and reducing crime, - the actual cost of which was a very serious drain on our national resources.

Then came the biggest Foul up in History, they chose to put in charge their own puppets to manage NPAS! Anyone who knew anything about what had made UK Police Air Support the success it had been was eliminated, - only the puppets that were happy to bow down to the new mantra of saving money at all costs, were allowed to stay. So that in a very short time the whole of the enthusiasm and understanding that had created effective Police Air Support in the UK, had been strangled. What was left was a mere compliant but ineffective rump of what had been there before. UK Police Aviation as it was. Was dead!

Until someone has the sheer balls to stand up and shout that the Emperor is naked, we simply cannot make any headway! I'm 73 now and over the hill, but for God's sake surely I'm not the only one willing to cry foul on this bloody disaster!

TF

[MaxR]

TF - The problem is that if you're going to point out that the Emperor is naked, you have to be a good tailor and all of the good tailors have, as far as I can tell, already left the organisation.

[tigerfish]

Nessie1, Its a historical thing really. When UK Police Aviation was at the height of its development in the first 10 years of this millennium, there were something like 27 units in England and Wales and Northern Ireland, based on groups of Forces that had got together to provide mutual air support in their area. That system had well over 30 Helicopters in service and provided adequate coverage across the UK. The forces co-operated well with each other and tend to mutually support each other during maintenance down time etc. The one exception was Scotland were only one Force (Strathclyde) established air support. The remaining Scottish forces were either too small or not convinced that they had a use for air support. So it was when the Scottish Forces all combined into one, they only established with one Helicopter and it has remained so ever since. NPAS was never intended to increase Air Support, but was rather an asset shedding organisation and as such was never going to increase coverage. It could have been so much better, the idea of a National Police Air Wing was great but the way it was put together fatally flawed. The ONLY intention being to cut back on service provision and costs.

TF

[PANews]

Whether OD can turn this around may be signified by the openness of the "new" situation.

For too long information and disinformation has been strictly regulated - this is the stuff that has been the fuel of complaint and argument and yet the minutes of meetings have been held back and severely redacted [admittedly by the WYPCC not NPAS] so that sensible critique has been muted. The Annual Reports under recent management have been a joke, the first under Whitehouse gave out a broad brush of information and then it headed downhill as statistics were buried. The latest suggestion is that the operation was only born when Humberside finally joined the organisation so there is no need to issue statistics.

Whether the organisation comes out of its Cold War on information and pushes out the missing minutes and statistics will at least be an indicator of faith in the future. They may also prove that the suppression was largely the fault of top management not simply a suitable place to place the blame.

With so many intelligent people kept so long in this suppressed state the question remains whether anyone remembers how to do the job properly. All the people who questioned authority were progressively culled and some were never taken on-board simply because it was known they would never 'behave'. That's right isn't it Tigerfish?

Is it safe?

[Nessie1]

Nessie1, Its a historical thing really. When UK Police Aviation was at the height of its development in the first 10 years of this millennium, there were something like 27 units in England and Wales and Northern Ireland, based on groups of Forces that had got together to provide mutual air support in their area. That system had well over 30 Helicopters in service and provided adequate coverage across the UK. The forces co-operated well with each other and tend to mutually support each other during maintenance down time etc. The one exception was Scotland were only one Force (Strathclyde) established air support. The remaining Scottish forces were either too small or not convinced that they had a use for air support. So it was when the Scottish Forces all combined into one, they only established with one Helicopter and it has remained so ever since. NPAS was never intended to increase Air Support, but was rather an asset shedding organisation and as such was never going to increase coverage. It could have been so much better, the idea of a National Police Air Wing was great but the way it was put together fatally flawed. The ONLY intention being to cut back on service provision and costs.

TF

Thanks for the feedback TF, interesting how Scotland copes with one helicopter now its a single force.
Maybe England and Wales should follow Scotlands lead and become One police force and cut out all of the higher management roles including the PCC's with their many hangers on.
Wonder how many hundreds of millions that would save? Think of all the helicopters it would buy.

[tigerfish]

Yes, Bryn, - As someone who was Culled as you put it. I have to agree. My crime then as now, was to point out the flawed concept of reducing the availability of Air support to the hard pressed officer on the ground. That was what so many of us worked so hard to achieve, and essentially the fundamental reason that Air Support was there for, - catching criminals and at the same time providing cover for the officers on the ground. When NPAS was first suggested I was very much in support of it but argued that whilst a National Air wing was good from economies of scale point of view, it could only be effective with REGIONAL control centres, not a single National Control. And NO reduction in the fleet or bases.

TF

[MightyGem]

So, here are the numbers for 2017/18 for what individual Forces paid to NPAS. They are all the same as the previous year. Spooky!

You might notice that they are no “Hours Flown” in respect of each Force. NPAS say that they don’t record hours flown for each Force anymore, just the number of “Actioned Calls”; ie, tasks completed for each Force.

NPAS utilises ‘Actioned Calls for service’ as the currency for charging forces. This doesn’t rely on hours flown but creates a ‘unit cost’ by dividing the revenue cost of delivering NPAS against the numbers of calls delivered to forces.

The cost per force is calculated by considering

- The total revenue cost for NPAS
- The number of calls delivered to each force in the preceding 12 month period (Jan-
Dec)
- The total cost is then divided by the number of actioned calls providing a cost per call to be allocated

A call is only charged when an aircraft is assigned to a call and arrives on scene. If an aircraft is cancelled en-route the force requesting does not pay as an actioned call has not been delivered. If an aircraft is diverted en-route from one task to another it is only the force that the actioned call is delivered to that pays.

Hours for each NPAS base are shown which continue to decrease year on year.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/796x772/npas_20201718_zpse2rysmax_3914c637446667d04a47c71abb9feea2a6 db375e.png

[tigerfish]

So about 10,000 hrs below the Hours flown prior to NPAS. How many criminals less apprehended ? How many crimes discouraged ? How many lives lost as a result of vehicle crime? How many Police Officers discouraged by the loss of overhead cover?
Sadly Policing has lost its way in the UK. The Criminal now rules the roost. And its not the fault of the Officer on he ground! Too many senior Officers afraid to stand their ground against the political masters! Once upon a time I did that almost daily, but now I am ashamed to admit that I was once a Police Officer, because once upon a time, it stood for something. Today................

TF

[MightyGem]

So about 10,000 hrs below the Hours flown prior to NPAS.
Yep, and a large portion of those hours flown are transit time to and from "Actioned Calls".

Meanwhile, NPAS crews continue to monitor PPrune under threat of dismissal should they dare make any comment. As NPAS bosses obviously monitor this, everybody give them a wave:
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/250x250/smile_clipart_wave_3_98c9925c0822da8fbb2248b86e812a2b7201014 b.png

[tigerfish]

MG,
Its just an example of what happened to me. Air support had become a way of life, and I decided to fight for it's future, come what may. For me the key to the success that we had already achieved, was in the strength and dedication of our UEO's, most of whom I knew well, and trusted implicitly. We were making headway, despite knock backs by CC's such as HH, but in the end my company was warned that my belief's were not conducive to future success. And so suddenly, despite some 26 years of fighting for the concept, I was history.

NPAS was not then, or ever since, receptive of constructive criticism. That was what secured their current ills's. Their whole credo was based on never ever listening to those who just might know how to do it! Reducing the budget and the cost was the only imperative. To Hell with Policing and catching criminals. That was no longer the aim!

TF

[PANews]

It is all too easy to write this off as some sort of 'good old fashioned' activity. The older ones among us recall the screaming red faced sergeant/inspector/superintendent with his face one inch away from the face of a miscreant officer. That was how it was done then, and we were better more robust people for it. But it was not exactly bully boy tactics, the modern version is more mind warfare.

The modern trouble appears different, incideous and threatening tactics. A, now retired, chief constables black balling an employee of a commercial company quite openly may not be new but should never have been so open that it was common knowledge across the industry in days. That 'openness' was an early message to staff members not to even countenance 'terrorist' opinions. What sort of mind labels employees 'terrorist'?

The ringmaster may well have departed but we have to recall that a large number of people have been replaced and selected under that management style. Just pick up an early copy of the NPAS minutes and compare it with a more recent copy. The list of attendees in the early editions included some important faces that simply had enough of the management style and walked. NPAS has not been a happy place and unhappiness breeds flight safety dangers all of their own even if there is a so called safety programme in place. The safety status of that has not ever been demonstrated to me or my far better qualified associates at any time and I have been bringing together law enforcement safety managers from across the Western World for a decade now.

So within NPAS now we have a situation where there are people selected by (an alleged) bully in post. It is my opinion, having met several members of the new NPAS staff...... and I have been in this business almost as long as Tigerfish ..... that there are a fair few bullies lurking in upper management. You might think that best behavior applies when addressing the press and that no-one would actually go so far as to 'bully' the guest into soaking up the party line. Unfortunately I can go witness to that not being the case - which is more than the 'terrorist' staff with a point of view can do.

Throughout this process there has been a steady removal of people with plentiful skills and opinions other than that of the ultimate hierarchy and I do not see change on the horizon.

[chopper2004]

Could this be the future of airborne law enforcement? :D :P. Dress up mannequin in appropriate uniform of said force, and voila....enough to scare the criminals away.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlAbqxKlZ3U

Cheers

[Coconutty]

Facts & Figures don't always tell the full story, but Pre NPAS ( I have no experience of working for NPAS ),
my Force had a Budget of £1.7 million - which paid for 1400 Hours - that's more or less 4 hours per day, every day.

On many flights, the Crew would often alttend to 3, 4, or even more Tasks PER HOUR flown,
such was the nature then of Self Tasking, and the ability of Ground Resources to call the Air Crew directly
without needing "permission" or a lengthy process of someone else making the request on their behalf.

Those latest posted figures - over £1350 per call, for the number of calls actioned,
works out at only 3 to 4 calls ( Tasks ) per DAY, which is roughly a quarter of the Pre NPAS figures,
while paying the equivalent of a reasonably experience Police Constable's annual salary more than the Pre NPAS budget.

Coconutty.

[tigerfish]

C'mon NPAS explain!, - Prior to your existence, the UK had one of the most highly motivated, and most effective Police Air Support facilities in the world. The evidence suggests that since your creation that effective aid to Policing in general, and crime suppression in particular has all but been eliminated. Serious crime in all areas is increasing. The officer on the ground, can no longer count on quick and effective air support!
How do you plead? Guilty or not guilty?

TF