UK Police News

[Aviafora Newsdesk]

Avon and Somerset Air Support Unit says: "Sorry We Kept You Awake!"

A police helicopter crew has apologised for waking people in Bath with a late-night mission.

People took to Twitter to ask what the Filton-based aircraft was doing over the city.


Avon and Somerset's EC135 helicopter

The National Police Air Service unit was up helping on-the-ground colleagues in the aftermath of a domestic incident at around 11.45pm.

It tweeted: "Apologies for any noise."

@Kez - Now the police helicopter is hovering overhead, it's ok I didn't want to sleep

@NPAS_Filton Bath - Containment of address and search following a domestic incident, apologies for any noise

http://www.bathchronicle.co.uk/Polic...ail/story.html

[Aviafora Newsdesk]

NPAS Fleet to Receive Mission Systems Upgrade

State-of-the-art camera and mission system equipment is to be installed across a third of the UK's National Police Air Service Fleet. The equipment will integrate a new generation camera with mission planning and mapping systems.

Some of the 22 helicopters in the NPAS fleet have already been fitted with this equipment but seven aircraft remain which require upgrade. The systems upgrade is expected to keep NPAS at the forefront of police aviation enabling them to maximise the use of their assets.


The UK's NPAS EC135T2's to receive mission systems upgrade

NPAS Accountable Manager, Chief Superintendent Ian Whitehouse, said: “Cameras, searchlights and mission planning equipment are key and integral parts of all police helicopters. We have all seen the power of them in helping to find people on the ground and all of our helicopters are optimised to provide this capability.”

“As part of our drive to ensure that the communities we serve are safer and feel safer we recognised that some NPAS aircraft were worthy of improvement. It is important that we move with the technology as it improves and advances and we are investing this money to ensure all of our aircraft have the best and most appropriate technology available to support officers on the ground.”

“The new camera and searchlight systems are integrated to be able to interact with other technology in the helicopter. This is not just about putting a new camera in an aircraft. It is an entire mission system upgrade with the different parts able to work together or in isolation providing a slick and efficient service delivery.”

“Value for money for the taxpayer was also a very important part in our decision making,” added Chief Superintendent Whitehouse.

“The tendering process was lengthy and we looked at what we specifically needed as part of the package. The team who worked on this programme and provided their expertise have worked tirelessly to ensure this meets our needs and I wish to thank them for all their hard work and effort. Operating a significant fleet of Airbus Helicopters EC135s means that we know what works for us in policing and these modifications have been tailored to our needs.”

“The investment is between £5m and £10m and has been awarded to Bond Helicopters Europe. We had many suppliers who submitted bids through our procurement team and I look forward to continuing to work with industry providers to ensure NPAS is recognised as a world leader in Police Aviation.”

West Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner, Mark Burns-Williamson is the Chair of the NPAS National Strategic Board and said:

“In a time of unprecedented cuts to policing, I am fully committed to achieving value for money, not just for West Yorkshire, but across the country.

“This latest agreement will ensure that the NPAS fleet continues to provide the best possible service to the public through the latest standards in aircraft technology.

“By harnessing innovation in the sector, we can continue to bring about genuine benefits to front line policing and all at a lower cost.”

Director of Design and Completion at Bond Helicopters Europe, Jeremy Liber, said: “This is a complex upgrade, but our experienced team took an innovative approach to designing and integrating the very best mission systems, which we believe will make a real difference to the helicopters’ crime-fighting capabilities.

“We are looking forward to working with NPAS to deliver seven world-class police air assets, supported into the future.”

Bond Helicopters released the following statement:

Staverton-based Bond Helicopters Europe, part of the Avincis Group, has been awarded a multi- million pound contract to install the next generation of missions system equipment into the National Police Air Service (NPAS) fleet.

The work, valued at between £5m and £10m, will see seven EC135T2 helicopters equipped with state of the art camera and mission system technology. The interior of each aircraft will also be redesigned with touch screen displays and an ergonomic layout, giving the crew more space to work in.

The existing communications systems will be replaced with new integrated technologies, giving enhanced capability to relay crime-fighting information to Police Officers in the sky, on the ground and at headquarters.

Other new equipment, including powerful search lights and public address systems will also be integrated, ensuring the helicopters remain at the cutting-edge in their roles of supporting critical policing operations across the country.


Rendering of the new mission systems layout

Avincis CEO for Northern Europe and Asia Pacific, Richard Mintern, said: “This is an important business for Avincis and we are delighted that Bond has been chosen by UK NPAS for this complex upgrade. Our experienced team took an innovative approach to designing and integrating the very best mission systems, which we believe will make a real difference to the helicopters’ crime-fighting capabilities.

“We are looking forward to working with NPAS to deliver seven world-class police air assets, supported into the future.”

NPAS Accountable Manager, Chief Superintendent Ian Whitehouse, said: “The tendering process was lengthy. This is not just about putting a new camera in an aircraft. It is an entire mission systems upgrade providing a slick and efficient service delivery at value to the taxpayer. I look forward to working with Bond to ensure NPAS is recognised as a world leader in police aviation.”

The work will be carried out at Bond’s facilities in Staverton, and through NPAS’ fleet management it will not impact on the coverage of police helicopters across the country. The upgrades will mean the full NPAS fleet of 22 helicopters operates with the very latest technology, putting criminals on the back foot.

http://helihub.com/2014/06/04/bond-w...rade-contract/

[Aviafora Newsdesk]

Metpol in Twitter Row

The Metropolitan police helicopter unit has been accused of encouraging abuse of its critics on Twitter.


Metpol's air support public relations management is currently under the spotlight

The helicopter division, which tweets under the handle @MPSinthesky, replied to at least three women who complained about noise and ensured all of its 91,000 followers saw what the women had written. This in turn prompted reactions from followers of the helicopter division who then proceeded to harass those who had complained.

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