The police and crime commissioner for Cleveland has defended the decision to shut Teesside’s police helicopter base.
The National Police Air Service (Npas) confirmed today that the helicopter base at Durham Tees Valley would close from the 2016/17 financial year as a result of government funding cuts.
Pcc Barry Coppinger, who is a member of the board for Npas, confirmed he had backed the move - despite a statement earlier in the day in which he said he was “disappointed” that they had decided to close the Durham Tees Valley base.
In his initial statement he said: “Responsibility for police air support lies with the National Police Air Service, and while I’m disappointed that they have chosen to close the base at Durham Tees Valley, I am only too aware of how funding cuts mean that difficult decisions have to be made.”
Speaking tonight he confirmed he was on Npas. He said: “At the end of the day we have had to make savings of £18m.
“We are paying £1.4m for the air support at the moment and I want to negotiate that down quite substantially.
“We can’t afford the subsidies on the current level of air support.
“We are not losing air support, air support is being reorganised.
“We will get air support when we need it. We can call on it 24/7.”
Read more: Cleveland Police helicopter: Anger at announcement aircraft is to leave base
If Cleveland Police required a helicopter, they would call on the nearest available aircraft, he said.
While this could be from the base in Newcastle is might possibly be as far away as Leeds or York.
When asked if he felt community safety could be put at risk by this move, he said: “It’s important to bear in mind that air support is only one type of policing.
“Depending on the type of incident we are dealing with, we will still have other services on the ground.
“There are only a very small number of incidents where air support is called upon.
“It doesn’t mean we will lose out on all levels.”
In June 2008, Mr Coppinger, then the Executive Middlesbrough councillor for community safety put forward a motion calling for the council to back Cleveland Police Authority’s move to keep the force helicopter on Teesside.
At the time, he said: “The community safety interests of Teesside are best served by a helicopter based at Durham Tees Valley Airport.”
Peter Reimann 
Barry Coppinger
Speaking today, Mr Coppinger said things had changed “substantially” since 2008.
“In 2008 public services were growing. We are in a very different situation today.”
The decision comes less than a year after DTVA opened a new purpose-built hangar for the Npas aircraft. The facility was provided under a five-year agreement between the airport and the NPAS.
The accountable manager for the NPAS said “difficult decisions” had to be made because of funding cuts.
Chief Superintendent Ian Whitehouse, said: “There is no easy way of doing this and difficult decisions have to be made.
“This move will help improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the service and mean that every base supports police forces 24 hours a day.
“It is a move based on an analysis of potential threat, risk and harm to the public we serve.”
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