Why is the police helicopter over my house?

There are many reasons that the police helicopter might be over your house, from an operational incident to a routine training flight.

At night the police helicopter will normally only fly if there is an ongoing incident that requires air support. These incidents could be anything from a missing person search, a police pursuit to a medical evacuation.

Not every helicopter that flies locally is operated by the police, the Air Ambulance service as well as many civilian and military helicopters also operate in the area - although only the police and Air Ambulance will generally hover over an area or land near a built up area, particularly at night.

We apologise if the use of the police helicopter has interrupted your sleep but we are sure you would rather have disturbed sleep than be disturbed by a burglar.

You can follow the National Police Air Service on Twitter to get updates about the incidents the helicopter is attending.

What do I do if I see the police helicopter or Air Ambulance land near me?

Whilst it may be tempting to come out to see what is happening we would strongly advise that you remain a safe distance from the helicopter landing site, the crew need to ensure that the landing site is clear of people before the aircraft can land and your presence might delay someone receiving urgent medical treatment or prevent the apprehension of a suspect.