Labour AM candidate for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, Marc Tierney, has said the loss of the Dyfed Powys Police helicopter will be a ‘huge loss’ to the resource capabilities of policing in rural west Wales.

Despite raising his concerns with the chair of the NPAS board last autumn, the service has come to an end, with the final flight made last week.

“The loss of the helicopter, in a year when it has been called out to assist in so many high profile and tragic cases, is a huge loss to the local force and the support provided to officers on the ground,” said Mr. Tierney.

“The X99 team did a sterling job backed by excellent local knowledge. It was a privilege to meet the team and to see the newly-equipped base that is now being mothballed and turned into a filling station for the St. Athan helicopter.

“I am angry that reasonable options put forward by Labour colleagues and others have been ignored.

“It became clear after a teleconference between the NPAS board, the Shadow Secretary of State for Wales, Nia Griffith MP, and myself that the Police and Crime Commissioner had failed to put up any sort of argument for maintaining the Dyfed Powys chopper when the original plan was downgraded to the current 15 base model.

“This decision places everywhere west of Carmarthen outside of NPAS’ own 20-minute response time target, because of budget cuts.”

The end of the Dyfed Powys Police helicopter came just two months after the final flight of RAF Search and Rescue based at Chivenor. That service is now in the hands of private firm Bristow Helicopters Ltd.

Mr. Tierney fears that with the NPAS service down to a very limited number of bases, it could be sold off in future just like the service once provided by RAF Search and Rescue.