Airport policing in the United Kingdom has taken many forms since the rise of scheduled airline services in the post-war period.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation Constabulary was formed in 1948, and its first chief constable (appointed that year) was Sir John Bennett, a former Inspector-General of Police for the province of Punjab, India.

[6][7] The change of administration was seen as an opportunity to partially reform old working methods, and then-novel innovations were introduced, such as report forms with tick-boxes, an index card system and dictation machines for detectives.

[10] They were attested before a justice of the peace (or a sheriff in Scotland), and had "the powers and privileges and [were] liable to the duties and responsibilities of a constable" on all the aerodromes owned or managed by BAA.

[19] The BAA, being a public corporation (but not under the direct control of the government), could not arm its officers, and nor could the municipally-controlled police forces at Birmingham or Manchester.

The designated airports were those owned by BAA at the time (Heathrow,[D 1] Stansted,[D 2] Gatwick,[D 3] Aberdeen,[D 4] Edinburgh,[D 5] Glasgow[D 6] and Glasgow Prestwick[D 7]), plus Birmingham[D 8] and Manchester[D 9] airports, then under the control of their respective local authorities.

However, section 57 of the Civil Aviation Act 1982 allows the creation of a body of "special constables on any premises for the time being vested in or under the control of the Secretary of State.

There was no effective means of arbitration between an airport operator and the police force – the Secretary of State for Transport could "determine" what the payment would be, but could not adjudicate on what level of service should be provided.

[21] In 2006, Stephen Boys Smith was tasked by the Department for Transport and the Home Office to carry out a review of airport policing.

PSAs do not cover responses to emergencies (both day-to-day emergencies and those covered by the Civil Contingencies Act 2004), extra police provision for hijack designated airports, border control work or protection against man-portable air-defense systems.

The new Framework also includes expanded powers of dispute resolution for the Secretary of State for Transport, and provides for recourse to judicial review by the High Court.