UK Police helicopter budget cuts
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Hey PAN -
We know how you love to keep us in suspense, especially when you think you have a "first" or "exclusive",
but are you going to enlighten about what's happened to O.D. or do we have to wait for the ( overdue ) August Issue to be published ??
We know how you love to keep us in suspense, especially when you think you have a "first" or "exclusive",
but are you going to enlighten about what's happened to O.D. or do we have to wait for the ( overdue ) August Issue to be published ??
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PAN
I know it,s a rumour network but where do you get the "although there is some doubt as to whether Sussex will continue beyond the end of contract on their MD902." information from?
What contract do they have re the MD902
I know it,s a rumour network but where do you get the "although there is some doubt as to whether Sussex will continue beyond the end of contract on their MD902." information from?
What contract do they have re the MD902
Coconutty
Its there [and it was there when you asked for it] probably suffering from your PC thinking it wasn't there.... Yes it was a few hours late... but some of us have a life to live. Went live Monday pm.
Ivor, yes to be pedantic bad choice of words... but the flavour goes with the apparent state of confusion reigning everywhere at the moment. One of the many many rumours is that Surrey and Sussex join together but that the Sussex h/c drops off at some stage [when a suitable moment appears] - and you can take your choice from many that might be dreamed up.
If this far from mythical 'nine helicopters' is acheived it would suggest that every rotary airframe that does not fit the chosen/preferred type [and I would suggest the EC135 is the most likely beast to be preferred now that the replacement aircraft purchase contracts are stalled] is deleted as they run out of steam/airframe life/economic operation/contract [delete to taste].
Yes its opinion but so is pprune.
Its there [and it was there when you asked for it] probably suffering from your PC thinking it wasn't there.... Yes it was a few hours late... but some of us have a life to live. Went live Monday pm.
Ivor, yes to be pedantic bad choice of words... but the flavour goes with the apparent state of confusion reigning everywhere at the moment. One of the many many rumours is that Surrey and Sussex join together but that the Sussex h/c drops off at some stage [when a suitable moment appears] - and you can take your choice from many that might be dreamed up.
If this far from mythical 'nine helicopters' is acheived it would suggest that every rotary airframe that does not fit the chosen/preferred type [and I would suggest the EC135 is the most likely beast to be preferred now that the replacement aircraft purchase contracts are stalled] is deleted as they run out of steam/airframe life/economic operation/contract [delete to taste].
Yes its opinion but so is pprune.
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Thanks PAN - Cleared my cache and there it was - hope you don't mind me quoting :
PAN August 2010
Wonder what will happen to the plans for a National Police Air Support Unit now ? - or even some of the smaller Regional Units that were starting up in preparation for it
It looks as if the new government’s plans to wipe away a layer of consultants [and therefore save money] have resulted in one of the planners of the future for UK police air support being deleted. At the end of last month E-mails to Ollie Dismore the Home Office Police Aviation Advisor and the public face of joined up UK police aviation for many years announced he had ‘gone’ from the scene. It may be an accident of birth.
The Home Office Police Aviation Advisor is a long standing secure salaried post at the Home Office and the major link between all the parties since the days when there was no air support.
More recently the post drifted from the Home Office and joined the NPIA – the National Police Improvement Agency - a recent creation that was certainly built on dodgy foundations and is likely to find itself disassembled or put down in the ongoing cuts. Created from some very worthy Home Office Departments NPIA has turned out to be a rest home for unemployed chief officers of police and the wage bill is truly massive. One by-product fault seems to be that in being set up some pretty key people including Ollie Dismore were turned into ‘consultants’ and lost their salaried status.
So for now the post of Aviation Advisor to the Home Office and NPIA is at best suspended and the role of sorting out the future rests on the shoulders of Simon Newman at the NPIA and Richard Watson of Kent Police.
The Home Office Police Aviation Advisor is a long standing secure salaried post at the Home Office and the major link between all the parties since the days when there was no air support.
More recently the post drifted from the Home Office and joined the NPIA – the National Police Improvement Agency - a recent creation that was certainly built on dodgy foundations and is likely to find itself disassembled or put down in the ongoing cuts. Created from some very worthy Home Office Departments NPIA has turned out to be a rest home for unemployed chief officers of police and the wage bill is truly massive. One by-product fault seems to be that in being set up some pretty key people including Ollie Dismore were turned into ‘consultants’ and lost their salaried status.
So for now the post of Aviation Advisor to the Home Office and NPIA is at best suspended and the role of sorting out the future rests on the shoulders of Simon Newman at the NPIA and Richard Watson of Kent Police.
Wonder what will happen to the plans for a National Police Air Support Unit now ? - or even some of the smaller Regional Units that were starting up in preparation for it
Glad you got your cache sorted out.... it catches me out at times and I am forever calling my Webmaster and asking 'Where is it?' to be told...'There Wally!'... [and I pay this man!] ..... so I know the feeling!! I may work over a 7 day cycle but he does not so issues are either early or late when the 1st falls on a weekend.
In fairness I have no doubt that OD will survive well enough financially - he has his piloting ability quite intact although there are few jobs in the far far west - but it just shows what a shambles is taking place.
Individually no one is the best man for the job or irreplacable but I think that unreplaced OD was a required element and that it was he that had his hand on many aspects of the job in hand that the remaining two will not have. Like the Aerospace bits for a start.
Sorry to you others for keeping you waiting for the OD story.... it was not just hype.... although others have been known to flout them the rules say I cannot advertise and my handle is near enough to the knuckle!!!
In fairness I have no doubt that OD will survive well enough financially - he has his piloting ability quite intact although there are few jobs in the far far west - but it just shows what a shambles is taking place.
Individually no one is the best man for the job or irreplacable but I think that unreplaced OD was a required element and that it was he that had his hand on many aspects of the job in hand that the remaining two will not have. Like the Aerospace bits for a start.
Sorry to you others for keeping you waiting for the OD story.... it was not just hype.... although others have been known to flout them the rules say I cannot advertise and my handle is near enough to the knuckle!!!
They have a EC135 and still have an old AS355 that will go shortly back off lease. The 135 was not nearly enough since the army pulled out.
Dangerous stuff.
Dangerous stuff.
noticed....
Fresh in my inbox this morning is the news that Ollie is back.
The HO PAA remains a dead duck but he now has a similar job with a much narrower remit and his 'old' NPIA E-mail and phone have been reactivated again. Different employer but similar task it seems.
It is a short term contract under the banner of the National Police Air Service (NPAS) Project to continue work on the national service.
The HO PAA remains a dead duck but he now has a similar job with a much narrower remit and his 'old' NPIA E-mail and phone have been reactivated again. Different employer but similar task it seems.
It is a short term contract under the banner of the National Police Air Service (NPAS) Project to continue work on the national service.
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More feet on the ground.
I would rather have more cops on the ground dealing with the main problem in the UK right now...anti social behaviour..
The best value revue which was carried out by the North East consortium prior to Northumbria kicking Cleveland out of NEASU in 2009, proved that their was no requirement for 2 aircraft based at airports 40 miles apart.
Why spend £2 million on Each Unit every year, to do a job one aircraft could easily do?
Lets see more cops on the street in Cleveland which is the smallest county in the UK, when there is already an aircraft 15 minutes away in Newcastle, and another one 20 mins away in W.Yorks.
£2 million every year would pay for a lot more land sharks (dog section vans) Just a thought.....
The best value revue which was carried out by the North East consortium prior to Northumbria kicking Cleveland out of NEASU in 2009, proved that their was no requirement for 2 aircraft based at airports 40 miles apart.
Why spend £2 million on Each Unit every year, to do a job one aircraft could easily do?
Lets see more cops on the street in Cleveland which is the smallest county in the UK, when there is already an aircraft 15 minutes away in Newcastle, and another one 20 mins away in W.Yorks.
£2 million every year would pay for a lot more land sharks (dog section vans) Just a thought.....
Avoid imitations
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As predicted some years ago, someone made their career proving that air support saved the police money.
Now someone else will make a career out of proving that the opposite is true.......
Now someone else will make a career out of proving that the opposite is true.......
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2 million a year doesn't go far on the ground.........
By the time you factor in annual leave, sick leave, court appearances, and suchlike, it takes 5 people to maintain 1 24-hour position - one on early, one on late, one on nights, one resting, and so on.
2 mill at 30k per person is 66 people - divided by 5 is 13.
So for 2mill, you get 13 more police officers on the ground at any one time across the constabulary area, not just one city or town within it.
I've no idea what the rate of pay for a police officer is, so if it's more or less than 30k, just re-do the maths yourself.
The US philosphy on air support going way back was always on the basis of the aircraft being a "force multiplier".
I don't think we've heard many reports of patrol cars being burned and local crime rates going up afterwards, have we?
By the time you factor in annual leave, sick leave, court appearances, and suchlike, it takes 5 people to maintain 1 24-hour position - one on early, one on late, one on nights, one resting, and so on.
2 mill at 30k per person is 66 people - divided by 5 is 13.
So for 2mill, you get 13 more police officers on the ground at any one time across the constabulary area, not just one city or town within it.
I've no idea what the rate of pay for a police officer is, so if it's more or less than 30k, just re-do the maths yourself.
The US philosphy on air support going way back was always on the basis of the aircraft being a "force multiplier".
I don't think we've heard many reports of patrol cars being burned and local crime rates going up afterwards, have we?
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Re £2million saved every year
I think £2million every year would put a lot more CPSO's or Constables on the ground which is what is needed.
The £6 million cost of a new aircraft which is about to be spent to replace Clevelands EC 135 would pay for even more officers on the ground in Cleveland, not to mention the ten already sat in their warm air support office at MME.
You can drive through Smoggy as its known in ten minutes north to south on the A19, so air support isnt really needed in such a small urban county.
Anti social problems are the biggest problem in Cleveland, and the local council keep rolling out the ex 'Robocop Mayor' every week to say how things are going to improve, but he's not going to take a paycut either!
Time to use air support aircraft in the north east more wisely.
Not just sat around at MME for days at a time..it doesnt take a bean counter to realise whats needed and whats not.
The £6 million cost of a new aircraft which is about to be spent to replace Clevelands EC 135 would pay for even more officers on the ground in Cleveland, not to mention the ten already sat in their warm air support office at MME.
You can drive through Smoggy as its known in ten minutes north to south on the A19, so air support isnt really needed in such a small urban county.
Anti social problems are the biggest problem in Cleveland, and the local council keep rolling out the ex 'Robocop Mayor' every week to say how things are going to improve, but he's not going to take a paycut either!
Time to use air support aircraft in the north east more wisely.
Not just sat around at MME for days at a time..it doesnt take a bean counter to realise whats needed and whats not.