MEMBERS of the Police Authority have opted not to join the government's national helicopter scheme, which they have deemed flawed and limiting, for the time being. Although they approved the creation of a National Police Air Service (NPAS) in August and the introduction of a new system under which forces nationwide would share a pool of helicopters, they felt the detailed project had "operational limitations".

Under the scheme, flying hours would be slashed from 700 hours to 560, the equivalent of one and a half hours per day.

Avon and Somerset would share an aircraft with both Gloucestershire and Wiltshire police, with Filton remaining as police helicopter base.

Police Authority chairman said Dr Peter Heffer said the government scheme was flawed.

He said: "As it stands currently there are drawbacks with what the national scheme is offering us and that needs addressing before we can agree to sign the contract."

The savings achieved through the scheme could be cancelled out, he said, by the extra hours the force would need to pay for to make up for the loss of flying time.

"NPAS proposes to significantly reduce Avon and Somerset’s flying hours and any additional flying hours will be costly and will significantly impact on the potential savings the scheme should be delivering," Dr Heffer added.

"We have made progress with the police helicopter base remaining at Filton airfield however we need assurance over the costs as we rightly seek the best deal for Avon and Somerset’s residents.

"We will continue to talk to NPAS to ensure the scheme meets our communities needs and we can move quickly to sign up once our operational and financial requirements are fulfilled."