TC

They can't, can they?

There are more than two civvy TFO's currently employed by NPAS. And as each region joins, more will be TUPE'd across.
However I suspect NPAS actually prefer to have Police Officers as TFO's as they have far more control over them, for instance it's not in the civvy contract that they will cover at other bases when required, yet it is in the Police Officer's secondment contract that they do.
The current recruiting drive for NPAS's TFO 'succession plan' has only been made available internally to substantive Police Officers. They are not recruiting civillian TFOs (at least at the moment).

Obviously if police TFO's dont get recognition, they'll be gone! The civvies will take over on lower salaries and probably join unison on day one. This is where NPAS could be undermined big time! Hope they can see this coming.

What bugs me is that very senior civil servants together with senior cops either don't or can't see the technical merits of the post of TFO - how on God's earth are these same lords and masters going to grip the technicality of NPAS as an operational entity.

Aero, thanks for the update on civi numbers, I might add though that the 2 civi TFOs I mentioned do work at other bases in the region, contracted or not, they have done for years when their aircraft is off line. They're just like that;)

But do they work Sundays? :E

Oh yes! Nights as well!

Do you speak from personal experience of police aviation, from something told to you second hand in the pub, or just ill-informed armchair conjecture?

Are you aware of the minimum experience required for this type of employment and therefore disagree with the CAA requirement?

You obviously missed the bit that says "Rumour"....

.... does that include substantive Police Officers in Forces that do not currently permit external Secondments ? :rolleyes:

Imagine one of the larger Police forces not allowing external secondments,
quite undertandably because of the ongoing budget cutbacks,
who may or may not have already joined NPAS .......

Once the Police Officer TFO's from that force that have been / are being seconded to W.Yorkshire LEAVE,
( whether through retirement, or electing to do so when / if the loss of Specialist Pay" kicks in, or for any other reason ),
then unless the "Home" force policy changes, the aircraft providing the "Local" service
will end up being crewed by TFO's with NO local knowledge of the area.

A bit like the arguement over Police or Civvie TFO's - having any TFO working an area they are unfamiliar with,
they will get the job done, but probably not as effectively or efficiently as the previous TFO that had that knowledge.

NPAS is still all about providing "a National Service delivered locally, that is more effective / efficient" and saves money, isn't it ?

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d1.../Coconutty.jpg

CoCo, the 'local knowledge' has already been watered down dramatically, for instance 3 years ago the guys at Suffolk did around 80% of flights in Suffolk, 10% in Essex and 10% between Cambs and Norfolk (mutual support), since then Cambs have gone, Norfolk have gone, Herts have gone, Kent never had one. Essex are spending about 30% flying in Kent/cambs/Herts/East Sussex/Suffolk/over London.

So a typical 'ex-Suffolk' late shift is flying anywhere in 5 counties or more with intimate knowledge of only one county with ex-Suffolk TFOs. The 3 'amalgamated' Norfolk observers gradually decided driving to Wattisham wasn't a great idea and left, and the Cambs guys were forbidden from applying for NPAS. Net result, local knowledge doesn't matter in the NPAS plan.

Saving money? Yes. More effective and efficient? definitely not. :(

Conversation with NPAS Dispatch the other night:
Hello, got a job for you. Such and such force want a helicopter
What's the job?
Don't know. They've just said they want an aircraft.
What's the talkgroup?
Don't know.
Got a postcode?
Standby
:ugh: :ugh: :ugh:

Dog, were you on shift at the time and have first hand knowledge? If so you should staff this up the chain of command so that education can take place. This is a learning phase I am sure, for all.

Yes, I believe that's being done, but come on, THE NPAS control room's been running since October, basic stuff like this should be, er well, basic.

Chilterns
 

Pretty accurate, but more like £3m pa including staff costs. Still not bad for 3 force / 5 county coverage.

NPAS recruiting.....salary to be advised!!!

POLICE/HEMS HELICOPTER PILOTS with West Yorkshire Police | 1401357986

NPAS job advert
 

If you go to the WYP job page and follow the links for the pilot jobs, it eventually links to a secreterial job description - glad to see that the ususl efficiency and attention to detail prevails!!!!! or perhps the salary of around 17-18K is part of the efficiency drive and making the savings promised by NPAS.
Honestly you cann't make it up!:ugh:

Hmmm...some voting with their feet perhaps?

The bit about is interesting ....

Does anyone know how that would that work ?

Would it be a case of only working half the number of shifts that a Full Time pilot would work,
or would it mean working half a shift ( say 5 hours instead of 10 ) each rostered day ?

If the latter, this would increase unavailability for an extra half-hour or so
each time, when the job sharing pilots complete their handover.

There's also the question of the additional cost of keeping 2 pilots current,
and the additional unavailability of aircraft while doing so,
biting still deeper into the expected "up to" £15 million annual savings.
( Then again £1 is "up to" £15 million :rolleyes: ).


http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d1.../Coconutty.jpg

Coco,
You have to understand that this ad and the one for the TFO's were written by a police HR department and, to them, are "just another job advert". As long as they get the required pink/fluffy/equality/diversity bits right then all is well. Probably why neither of them included height, sitting height and weight limits. :ugh:
It's a learning process and, eventually, they may get it right. Just think of it as an opportunity to educate someone.

Fortyodd is correct, welcome to the PC world of PC's. They HAVE TO put those lines in the ad, I am surprised it does not mention that disabled people are encouraged to apply.......