Sir,

Re ‘Huge loss’ as Dyfed-Powys helicopter makes final flight, Tenby Observer, January 8.

Observer readers can be optimistic about the future of police air cover for Dyfed-Powys.

The agreement I have reached with the police force and the National Police Air Service (NPAS) will mean a service available 24 hours a day rather than the present 12 hours.

We will no longer face large, unexpected maintenance periods which put our lone helicopter out of action. We are saving £275,000, which will help me keep officers on our streets.

Yes, some response times will be down from this month, but Pembrokeshire will continue to get the coverage it needs.

I would like the helicopter to have been based permanently at Pembrey, but I am pleased that NPAS have recognised our rural nature and made a significant concession by retaining the base.

Responsible leadership of these critical services requires thought and determination, not hysteria and finger-pointing. The public deserve it. I am determined to deliver it.

In the meantime, I have put 30 more police officers on the streets of Dyfed-Powys and they’re spending tens of thousands more hours on the beat thanks to investment in IT. Crime and antisocial behaviour are down.

Christopher Salmon,

Police and Crime

Commissioner

for Dyfed-Powys.