The East Midlands Air Support Unit was a joint consortium established to provide police aviation for Leicestershire Constabulary, Northamptonshire Police and Warwickshire Police. It was formed in April 1994 and operated a Eurocopter EC135 from Sulby, near Welford in Northamptonshire.

In October 2013, it was replaced by the National Police Air Service (NPAS).

East Midlands Air Support Unit

Aircraft

The unit began operations in 1994 using a Eurocopter AS355 Écureuil 2, G-EMAU. This served until 1998 when it crashed shortly after takeoff from the base into woodland opposite, killing one member of crew and injuring two others. A year later the unit received a new aircraft, G-EMAS, a Eurocopter EC135 T1. This aircraft remained with the unit until 2007 when it was sold to the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service where it was re-registered VP-CPS. The units final aircraft before its absorption into NPAS was G-EMID, an EC135 P2+ which transferred to NPAS.

East Midlands Air Support Unit

See also

Police aviation

Police aviation in the United Kingdom

References

External links

Leicestershire Police: Where we've been

Northamptonshire Police: Police Helicopter Activity

Police aviation units of the United Kingdom

East Midlands

1994 establishments in England

Defunct organisations based in the United Kingdom

2013 disestablishments in England

East Midlands Air Support Unit