Call the island flying squad!
Police to get aeroplane to help off icers tackle crime in Scotland’s remote areas
POLICE chiefs are preparing to spend millions of pounds on an aeroplane to fly officers to incidents in remote areas of the country.
Unlike the Flying Squad, depicted in cult TV show The Sweeney, officers will actually take to the air and the aircraft the force has begun hunting for will allow ‘rapid deployment’ to emergencies. The force already has a helicopter, which it rents for £2.1 million a year.
Critics say Police Scotland should focus on the basics, such as housebreaking and keeping stations open to the public, and described the plane as ‘an extravagance too far’.
The move to take on the plane has also led to fears that the future of local stations could be under threat. An advert for the contract to provide the new aircraft says it would provide the force with ‘greater endurance’ with up to five hours’ flying time, ‘longer range’ to cover a wider area and ‘greater capacity to carry more passengers’.
It states: ‘Police Scotland do currently operate a helicopter. However, this does not have the capacity to meet the national demand arising from the new force. The introduction of a fixed-wing aircraft with the range to cover the rest of the country would allow this gap to be filled.
‘In order to meet demand and provide an efficient air support unit offering resilience and sustainability, a two-air asset model mixed fleet of one helicopter based in the Central Belt and a fixed-wing aircraft based in the North of the country is the preferred option.’ But the advert acknowledges the drawbacks of a plane: ‘It cannot hover, or land, anywhere other than an airfield.’
Scottish Tory chief whip John Lamont said: ‘This will be a massive expense to the public, and many will suspect it’s an extravagance too far. Police Scotland must explain why this is necessary and why it will help
‘A massive expense to the public’
officers police the country. It’s not like your average criminal can be pursued using an aeroplane.
‘People will want the force to focus on the basics like reducing housebreaking, keeping stations open and making sure the streets are safe.’
The Police Scotland advert highlights the Britten-Norman Islander, designed in the 1960s to allow easy access to remote locations, as the type of plane that could be appropriate. It says it would be based in the north of the country, allowing it to cover Aberdeenshire, Inverness and the Highlands and islands.
But Scottish Lib Dem justice spokesman Alison McInnes said: ‘People in the North will want to be reassured these plans represent an increase in policing capacity. It is challenging to provide communities with the reassurance they need from 30,000ft. This decision needs to have been driven by operational requirements, not Top Gun.’
Chief Superintendent Elaine Ferguson said: ‘Police Scotland continually reviews its resources. The contract renewal for the current air support gave us an opportunity to gather factually accurate information to inform that work.’