Police and Crime Commissioner Christopher Salmon has come under fire over the decision to scrap the dedicated Dyfed-Powys Police helicopter and join the National Police Air Service (NPAS).

All forces in England and Wales must join NPAS and, Mr Salmon said, new arrangements will cost local taxpayers £890,000 a year from January – around £275,000 less than in 2014-15.

Mr Salmon said: “Joining NPAS brings access to 24-hour cover, reduced costs and greater reliability; no longer will we have repair bills and maintenance down-time.

“ We had no choice but to join NPAS and the nature of negotiation means we haven’t got everything we wanted - but this is the best possible deal for Dyfed-Powys.

“I’m pleased that NPAS have agreed to retain Pembrey as a base for the foreseeable future. This shows they recognise our concerns and represents a meaningful and pragmatic response.

“I’m confident that the extra hours the service will operate and the reduced costs will deliver real value for money and help us keep more officers on our rural beats in the future."

But former Detective Inspector Martin Tavener has come out in support of the calls to save the police helicopter and its base at Pembrey, Carmarthenshire.

Having signed the Welsh Liberal Democrat petition to save the X99 police helicopter, Mr Tavener warned: “Rural areas are unique and need careful thought and understanding before cutting crucial tools”, adding that the police helicopter was a “vital piece of kit for the force area” and that “cuts of this kind have consequences”.

William Powell, Welsh Liberal Democrat Assembly Member for Mid & West Wales said: “Having a respected voice such as Martin Tavener’s coming out in support of the calls to save the service shows the strength of feeling out there about this issue, and is an important boost to the cross-party campaign.

“It is extremely worrying to hear that the decision may already have been made for this service to be scrapped. I will be attending a meeting with the Dyfed-Powys Police at their Carmarthen Headquarters on Friday and look forward to being updated about the latest developments and to voicing the concerns of Mr Tavener and others to the Chief Constable and Police & Crime Commissioner in person.”

Plaid regional AM for Mid and West Wales, Simon Thomas AM, said: “The Commissioner’s decision is completely unjustifiable. A dedicated police helicopter is vital to maintain a service across such a large area as Pembrokeshire, Powys, Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion.

“It’s clear that no meaningful changes have been made to the original proposal to centralise the service and lose the asset from the Dyfed-Powys area. The helicopter has been paid for by taxpayers in Dyfed-Powys; it’s a scandal that it will be transferred and possibly sold off.

“What’s the point of a police commissioner if they aren’t going to stand up and defend the wishes of the people they ?represent?”

Chief Constable Simon Prince will discuss details with local politicians this Friday.