MY wife Sue and I were fortunate enough to visit the police Airbus EC 135 helicopter at Exeter Airport.

It’s one of 19 in England and Wales and operated not by Devon and Cornwall but the National Police Air Service (NPAS) which is currently led by West Yorkshire Police.

We were introduced to pilot Chris Chambers and crew members, Base Manager Phil Knowles along with two Tactical Flight Officers.

Examples of their incredible work include tracing a six-year-old girl who had wandered more than half a mile from her rural Devon home after dark and locating a woman in the sea off Dawlish, again at night.

In another case, as police officers on the ground apprehended two suspects for a burglary near Exeter, a third person was spotted by the helicopter crew on the roof of a building. The lighting equipment revealed his hiding place and a real-time downlink was transmitted to the local force control room, resulting in a further arrest.

However, in September 2021 staffing at Exeter was cut substantially and operating hours reduced to 1pm – 1am. An out of hours national service is available but to my mind this is not the level of service we deserve.

Another blow has been the loss of the larger and more capable EC 145 helicopter which has recently been transferred to NPAS London, although I understand a fleet replacement programme is under way.

Crews can cover as far as Bournemouth and Wales so with a maximum aircraft flight time of 1hr 45mins refuelling sites are dotted across the country.

The NPAS costs £40 million a year to operate.

Watching pilot Chris carrying out his pre-flight inspection made me realise how it was not dissimilar to what we as drivers should do – although Chris has to take samples from three fuel tanks to ensure there is no water in the system

The aircraft’s searchlight can illuminate an entire football field from around 1,100 feet or be pinpointed on a particular target with the equivalent light of 20 million candles – so quite bright!

A thermal camera rotates through 360 degrees and can pick out a person almost anywhere outdoors, there is nowhere to hide. A downlink antenna enables total communication with control rooms and officers on the ground.

The aircraft can operate with cloud cover as low as 300ft and a visibility of 500ft.

The pilot sits on the right-hand side of the aircraft with the technical officer to their left operating controls for the searchlight and other equipment - sorry to say but it looked like a PlayStation console.

Behind the pilot sits the Tactical Commander. The title says it all, with a fourth seat beside them that can be used to carry equipment.

A stretcher is located towards the rear but only used in emergencies because the Tactical Commander would have to vacate their seat for a paramedic or doctor.

I was amazed at the amount of support the pilot and the crew have available when on operation, they are in constant contact with ground crew which is essential to maintain safety and also for seeking further assistance while carrying out duties from on high.

It is a well-oiled and tested system and we should be reassured that we are being looked after.

One could argue that it is an expensive piece of equipment but it is so useful and assists in many aspects of police work, not just car chases.

Officers on the ground can be directed more quickly to an incident and large areas covered in moments. Drones also play an important part but can only do so much as yet.

The Home Office has tasked NPAS in leading the development of drone technology with their greater role anticipated.

Recently, West Yorkshire’s Mayor has given 12 month’s notice of his authority’s intention to withdraw from its overseeing role. A replacement is being sought and I’m assured the service is not at risk - I sincerely hope that is the case as to lose this vital piece of equipment would definitely not enhance the ability of our police.