Police aviation in the United Kingdom

In addition to its fleet of helicopters, NPAS has introduced four Vulcanair P68R, which are fixed-wing aircraft able to provide longer flying time and lower running costs.

Police aviation in England and Wales was once a force-by-force, or forces working in partnership, organisation, however from 2012 to 2015 it transitioned to NPAS.

Aerial surveillance also allows the police to anticipate the direction of the pursuit, and position ground units ahead of the suspect to block roads or deploy spike strips.

The TFOs are responsible for controlling the camera systems, recording images for evidence in court and navigation, including aiding the pilot.

[6] Force helicopters are usually equipped with a powerful "Nightsun" search light that is capable of illuminating a large area.

[7] The Metropolitan Police Service has reportedly been secretly using Cessna aircraft for a number of years that have been fitted with surveillance equipment capable of intercepting mobile phone calls and listening in on conversations.

[8] In 2010, The Guardian reported police forces and government agencies across the UK are exploring the potential of unmanned drones for covert aerial surveillance, security, or emergency operations.

More recently, police helicopters have been fitted with a device that allows live video images to be transmitted directly to the force command centre by way of a downlink system.