National Police Air Service criticised for purchase of £10M ’useless’ fixed wing aircraft
The National Police Air Service has been heavily criticised after spending £10M replacing police helicopters with fixed wing aircraft which cannot operate in dense urban areas.
Four fixed-wing aircraft, Vulcanair P68s, were purchased at a cost of £2.5M were purchased as a cheaper alternative to helicopters and are capable of flying longer distances.
Yet, and perhaps with the benefit of hindsight, obviously they cannot hover rendering them ineffective for critical aerial police support activities such as searching for suspects or monitoring public order and protest events.
A source speaking anonymously to The Times newspaper said:
“Everyone is just really puzzled why they chose those planes when there are much more suitable craft out there. A plane can’t slow down enough to stay over a fixed area, they have to fly in a big loop, it’s just physics. If you’re flying anywhere with tall buildings people can easily hide if you’re going around in a giant orbit. You lose the visual capability you have with helicopters.”
Similarly, the aircraft require lengthy runways to be able to operate from which places geographical limitations on where the aircraft can be based, which are not necessarily close to areas where there is the largest demand for aerial support.
Reports that two of the aircraft are grounded at a purpose-built £2.85 million hangar in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, because pilots do not want to work there have compounded the questions surrounding whether the purchase of the aircraft, with Home Office capital funding, represent value for money for the taxpayer.
The aircraft may now be repurposed and allocated to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency for search and rescue activities.
Image source: The Times
Vulcanair, the manufacturer of the P68 fixed wing aircraft purchased by the National Policing Air Service, has lodged a legal complaint with The Times newspaper following its original coverage of this story on 19 March 2021.
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