THE number of RAF search and rescue crews in Britain is to be slashed by a fifth to bolster operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, raising fears that response times will suffer.
The Ministry of Defence yesterday confirmed it will reduce the number of crews at each of the UK's six RAF search and rescue centres by one.
Currently, five four-man crews operate from Lossie-mouth in north-east Scotland, Anglesey, Wattisham, Leco
nfield, Boulmer and Chivenor. The number of crews at each base will be reduced to four, with personnel being freed to fly helicopters in war zones.
An MoD spokesman said the move would enable more helicopters to be flown in operational theatres – reducing the number of roadside bomb deaths. He said the move would come into effect in 2011, as the search and rescue crews – who fly Sea Kings – will have to be trained to pilot Chinooks and other helicopters used in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The spokesman added: "We will be redirecting personnel so they can go into the pool of helicopter aircrews that are deployable in operations. The more helicopter crews we can send out, the more helicopters we can have in the air."
The spokesman said they could be used in conflict zones to transport people and equipment, as well as rescuing casualties. Extra helicopters in Afghanistan are seen as vital. Twenty-seven of the last 33 soldiers killed in Afghanistan died as a result of roadside bombs or land mines. Commanders say unless they get more helicopters many more soldiers will die.
The MoD spokesman said: "There has been a long-term desire to get more helicopters and more crews out to theatre so we can do less work with land vehicles, which can be exposed to IEDs (improvised explosive devices] and mines."
The RAF crews respond to about 1,000 emergency calls a year, from rescuing holidaymakers in difficulties to the 2004 floods that devastated Boscastle in Cornwall. Industry insiders say the move will risk the ability of the search and rescue service to respond to any emergency within an hour, and will reduce the amount of cover when crew are on holidays.
Angus Robertson, the SNP defence spokesman and MP for Moray, where the Lossiemouth Search and Rescue team is based, voiced concern at the move.
He said: "It is concerning both that there is a shortage of helicopters and trained crews in Afghanistan and that vital search and rescue services have to be cut to meet that need. It is essential our troops in Afghanistan are properly equipped and protected with the right resources, but the Ministry of Defence must be very careful not to leave search and rescue under-resourced or unable to do their jobs."
He added: "This decision exposes the folly of proposals to privatise search and rescue services and the UK government must commit to maintaining these services in the public sector."
The MoD stressed that the RAF search and rescue teams would still have "at least one committed stand-by helicopter at six bases throughout the UK. This will not affect normal search and rescue capability."
The spokesman said it could still call on coastguard and police helicopters if a major incident demanded it. The move also reflects the expectation that Britain will maintain a significant military presence in Afghanistan for years.
The full article contains 565 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
