Written question asked by Lord Monson (Crossbench), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Baroness Neville-Jones (Conservative) on Thursday, 15 July 2010.

Police: Helicopters

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the hourly operational cost of police helicopters, including fuel, maintenance and repairs, depreciation and police remuneration.

Answer: The 43 police forces of England and Wales currently have access to 31 helicopters that are able to provide the entire range of air support capabilities. These aircraft are managed through a mixture of in-house and outsourced arrangements. The decision on how this capability should be delivered is currently one for individual police forces to make. Some police forces have chosen to contract in this service. This generally incurs a higher hourly rate than those forces that purchase and operate their own aircraft and have responsibility for the pilotage and maintenance costs. It is therefore difficult to provide an accurate hourly operational cost that applies equally across the country. However, it is estimated that this figure is somewhere in the region of, on average, £1,800 to £1,900 per flying hour. Chief Constable Alex Marshall, aviation portfolio holder for the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), is leading a review into the way police air support is currently provided across England and Wales. The review, supported by the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA), will identify significant savings that can be made by greater collaboration between forces to deliver the service nationally.

Secondary information