NPAS planes assisted 27 police forces in April

It follows a decision to extend services conducted by NPAS across England and Wales from 1 April 2022 to meet growing demand. Previously, the service’s fixed-wing aircraft had been limited to mainly providing police air support in northeast England.

In the first month of the new, extended service, the fixed-wing fleet assisted in 39 searches for missing and vulnerable people, 27 vehicle searches and 18 pursuits, as well as providing policing support at four high-profile pre-planned events – including the Grand National horse race, and the Liverpool FC vs Manchester United football match.

The NPAS currently owns a fleet of four Vulcanair P.68R planes, operated from its base in Doncaster, which operate alongside its rotary fleet of 19 helicopters. The planes are operated by a pilot and a tactical flight officer, and are equipped with cameras, thermal imaging, mapping and radio communications systems.

The NPAS says that the benefits of expanding the operational area of its fixed-wing fleet is the ‘ability to stay in the air and proactively report suspicious activity they might see whilst flying over regions.’

Proactive patrol flights can offer improved situational awareness

The service cites one incident which occurred on 15 April as an example of the benefits of ‘proactive’ patrol flights, when a plane, designated as NPAS 82, spotted a motorcycle driving in a dangerous manner and at speeds in excess of 140mph (225km/h) in the East Midlands area, as the aircraft was travelling to the South West region.

NPAS 82 crew tracked the motorcyclist and alerted local police. The motorcyclist failed to stop when requested to pull over, and during the ensuing pursuit NPAS 82 air crew provided a live downlink and continued commentary to the control room. The rider eventually disembarked and attempted to make an escape on foot, with the plane crew continuing to direct officers to his location, where an arrest was eventually made.

“By operating as a national asset and deploying the fixed wing aircraft where there is most demand, we are able to provide greater air coverage to police forces up and down the country,” said Head of Operations, Chief Inspector Warren Pitman. “Operating a blended fleet of nationally deployed fixed wing aircraft, and regionally based helicopters, gives us greater resilience and the ability to ensure we are where we need to be to provide vital air support to our colleagues on the ground.”

The NPAS is also exploring the potential functionality of Beyond Visual Line of Sight drones, with funding from the Home Office.