Chief Superintendent Tyron Joyce, Chief Operating Officer for the National Police Air Service said:

“The National Police Air Service (NPAS) is a unique national collaboration across England and Wales providing a truly borderless service. It is tasked with supporting police forces across England and Wales to keep communities safe.

“NPAS is delivered by West Yorkshire Police on behalf of British Policing and governed by a National Board made up of six elected Police and Crime Commissioners and six Chief Constables each representing their policing regions.

“In 2014, this board tasked NPAS with making a 14% budget saving over three years, to maintain essential air support but at a significantly reduced cost to the public.

“Working with the Home Office and other agencies, extensive modelling was used to determine the optimum sites for a reduced number of NPAS bases in line with the greatest threat, harm and risk to communities. Both demand and population density were significant determining factors.

“A three year plan to close nine bases was implemented in 2014. This includes the closures of NPAS Warton, Wattisham and Durham Tees Valley in April 2017.

“The service provided by the remaining 14 NPAS bases will be supplemented by an additional ‘fixed-wing’ base in April 2017 with a fleet of four aircraft at NPAS Doncaster.

“Our fixed-wing aircraft (as opposed to helicopters) will be able to stay in the air for longer, will be faster and able to operate over greater distances than helicopters. This new fleet will therefore increase the ability of NPAS to respond to the priority calls for service of local police forces across England and Wales. All remaining NPAS bases will operate 24 hours from April 2017.

“Through our National Control Centre, we provide a truly borderless service to all 44 police forces in England and Wales by deploying the nearest available aircraft. We also move aircraft and crew around the country in support of the areas of greatest need.

“NPAS currently provides this support from 17 bases across England and Wales. Through this network, NPAS are normally able to reach 92% of the population of England and Wales within 20 minutes and 98% of 30 minutes.

“By April 2017, NPAS will be operating from 15 24/7 bases across England and Wales and with this provision, we will still be able to reach 92% of the population within 20 minutes and 97% within 30 minutes.”

“In order to manage the closure of NPAS Warton, some staff have already taken up offers of continued employment at other NPAS bases. The remaining staff are now operating a daily 12 hour shift from the base, in the same way that they have been doing since October 2015. The latest operational date for NPAS Warton is 31 March 2017”.