National recommendations and recommendations made to the Metropolitan Police Service and West Yorkshire Police, July 2020
Recommendation date: 28 July 2020
Published: 23 September 2020
On 19 September 2017, Mr XXXX solicitors made a formal police complaint. This stated that there was a widely shared view that the deployment of National Police Air Service (NPAS) helicopters to Grenfell Tower caused or significantly contributed to serious injuries and/or the loss of lives for two main reasons: 1. Residents believed that the NPAS helicopter was a rescue helicopter, deployed to rescue them from the top of the building. 2. The operation of a helicopter in close proximity to the 25-storey building would have created a rotor wash, which worsened the fire.
Recommendations (3)
Recommendation 1
Awaiting Response
Recommendation
The IOPC recommends that: The National Police Air Service (NPAS) develops guidance for emergency services call handlers on NPAS helicopter capabilities, making it clear that NPAS helicopters do not have a rescue capability. This guidance should also: On the night … Read more
Recommendation 2
Awaiting Response
Recommendation
The IOPC recommends that: Joint Emergency Service Interoperability Principles (JESIP) issues a ‘Joint Organisational Learning’ (JOL) action note to all emergency services, requiring them to: JESIP is a programme that seeks to continually improve the way the emergency services work … Read more
Recommendation 3
Awaiting Response
Recommendation
The IOPC recommends that: The leads on emergency services multi-agency working at the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC), National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) and the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE) monitor services’ compliance with the JOL action note. On … Read more