| National Police Air Service | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 1 October 2012–present |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Type | Police aviation |
| Operations jurisdiction | England and Wales |
| Headquarters | West Yorkshire Police Operations Centre, Wakefield, England |
| Abbreviation | NPAS |
| Equipment | |
| Aircraft | Airbus Helicopters H135 Airbus Helicopters H145 Vulcanair P68R |
| Website | |
| www | |
The National Police Air Service (NPAS) is a police aviation service that provides centralised air support to the 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales, as well as the three special police forces serving that area.[1] It replaced the previous structure whereby police forces operated their own helicopters, either individually or in small consortia (such as the South East Air Support Unit).[2] The project was coordinated by Alex Marshall (the then Chief Constable of Hampshire Police).[3] West Yorkshire Police is the lead force,[3] and the service is coordinated from the NPAS Operations Centre, at Wakefield, West Yorkshire.[4]
The future of NPAS in its current form is in some doubt. In June 2021 the Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin, gave formal notice to end West Yorkshire Police's responsibilities as the leading force for NPAS. At a meeting of the National Strategic Board found the levels of availability for the fleet were suboptimal and that police forces which fund NPAS were seeing financial challenges.[5]
- ^ "National Police Air Service | West Yorkshire Police". www.westyorkshire.police.uk. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
- ^ "New plans for a national police air service". Association of Chief Police Officers. 26 October 2010. Archived from the original on 4 January 2013. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
- ^ a b "Press Release: National Police Air Service is launched". Association of Chief Police Officers. 1 October 2012. Archived from the original on 4 October 2012. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
- ^ "NPAS Annual Report 2014 - 2015" (PDF). NPAS. 27 January 2016.
- ^ Le, Khai Trung. "West Yorkshire Police to end lead role in UK National Police Air Service". AirMed&Rescue. Retrieved 26 September 2023.