Airport Policing - Can it be Improved?

Would they be like Border Patrol or am I on the wrong track?

Definetly an under utelised extension, I commited to deploying stations and extensions on most airports in my coverage region when it was added and then kinda forgot it existed. My only tiny little concern is the sheer number of different training courses currently in-game and whilst I have the foundation of an idea to suggest that might improve the QoL in that regard, I do just wonder how much could be covered using existing training first?

Im not well versed in airport policing, and what they would necessarily have to deal with/what special training they would recieve, so im largely unsure.

What kind of calls did you have in mind? Might help guage whether a dedicated course(s) is needed.

(also, any thoughts of including border force in this?)

Quote from Whitchit

Have updated to include an option to refer to the training as “Ports Policing” to represent both airport and seaport policing roles which can be found across the UK at commercial passenger and industrial ports. This would leave scope in the future to add custom seaport police incidents.

As for this regarding ports, I do still hope we see police boats added (which are on the US version iirc), which could then cover port missions to and I cant think of any reason why both extensions couldnt then use the same course where appropriate, which then cuts down on new courses in the future.

Quote from Whitchit

No, we have the UK Border Force, and Immigrations and Customs, both separate entities, and then we also have airport security who are civilians, and then we ALSO have police officers dedicated to airports and seaports with specialist training to deal with all manner of crimes the far side of airport security / passport control, including airside on the tarmac and in the departure / arrival lounges, as well as in aircraft on the ground and anywhere else on airport grounds.

Slightly different with seaports as some are for international ferries and others are for industrial / cargo ports.

Ok thanks for explaining it to me.

Quote from Whitchit

Regarding your concerns around existing amount of training courses, I lament that this will only increase with a vast amount of policing not even close to being covered by existing content yet. Such is life unfortunately, I see no way around that.

Yeah, it is innevetiable [Insert thanos gif here]

But I think as much as possible the question needs to be asked "Is this necessary or is this the simplest option?"

In this, it sounds probably like it is necessary.

But that doesnt mean life cant be improved a little (Casual plug)

Quote from Whitchit

Airport / airside ‘general policing’ (we shall steer clear of anything terror-related as per the dev’s directive) relates to enforcement of airport & airside bye-laws in addition to regular laws. Officers would also receive specialist airside safety training for working out on the tarmac etc.

Along these lines there is good scope to include missions of all sizes from ‘Disruptive passenger on Aircraft’ to ‘Armed Passenger in Terminal’, to ‘Tampering with Communications Equipment’, all the way up to something like an aircraft hijack attempt.

Yeah, those sound like they would be good calls to see and I can see why dedicated training would be needed for maximum realism .

Quote from Whitchit

1. Policing is still far from finished.
2. Immigration is a very awkward topic to broach, like mental health, incidents involving children, terrorism or sexual offences etc.

3. I haven’t worked for Border Force and have very little knowledge of how they could be accurately and realistically represented in game.

Yeah, that does sound like a good thing to steer largely clear of at the moment.

Quote from Whitchit

Regarding police boats, ports police don’t actually generally use them. Ports police are land-based and deal with incidents on the port grounds generally speaking. Marine policing is something I’ve also put a draft together for and plan to put forward for a future update separately to the content that this thread relates to.

Could still be in the same update though, with Marine Policing and Port Police added at the same time. Though another option I suppose could be to convert the entire extension from aviation to ports policing? With a specialization and PoIs to dictate what spawns? Or is that a tad bit messy?

How much more training would be available/required if this was to be implemented? I'm asking because the more training we have, the harder it is to keep up with it

I personally agree fully that aviation policing is rather lacking for sure. As currently, in my opinion the expansion is a complete waste of money, as it provides a niche vehicle, I won't use, though I see why it was included, as I see the Met Police has them in abundance for their airport policing. It currently has one mission assigned to it, which might I add is also available without investing in the policing side. Right now I have a large police station at Gatwick, and I find myself deploying the resources OUT of airport (which does happen, as its a regional firearms/roads policing base too), but never actually in the airport.

I'd like to see this remedied by adding new airport missions, and perhaps a course - along as the requirements are done through personnel and not through the armed cell van becoming a required unit. Allowing me to deploy resources in ARVs, RPUs, IRVs and Cell Vans etc if I wish to. I also like it to be a range of misisons, from simple disturbances (like how railway policing was done), to major incidents/counter terror Airport Hijackings. Though a concern I'd like to raise is staff can only count as one course. So I worry if ARVs won't count on these missions correctly, because they are filling the "Airport Police Officer" requirement. Though the ARV requirement is coded differently, so im not entirely sure.

Furthermore, I'd definitely like to see port policing have a role too, as locally we have non-home office forces in Such as "Port of Dover Police" (funded entirely by ports, not taxpayers). If these was one unified course between the two, I'd like this. Though this would NEED a specialisation in my opinion, so that I can spawn only port missions around it, I'd personally dislike the addition if this wasn't included. Requirements should also be done by staff, I dont want to see "Port Police Car" "Port Police Cell Van" etc, this will also allow me to add in Dog Units and such for the Port Police, which I think is quite nice for gameplay. Personally, like airports I think these calls should only spawn around the ports, and never from a random police station either. I assume the main barrier would be simply adding more missions. Im sure this is feasible given the less amount of vehicles, singular training, and utlising an existing extension!

Some photos of port of dover police, who have the same police powers as an officer, and are not border force/ immigration. Border force should not be added ever in my opinion. As it is quite a decisive, controversial topic imo

Interms of Martime Policing Morvran mentioned I would expect this to be a seperate thing, far down the line, as there are more pressing police updates I’d like to see such as rural crime, CID, and avaiation/port policing. My local force does have 2 boats cor search and policing. So id like them to be added just in small required amounts (i dont want to see missions requiring 6 police boats)

I would certainly like to see more airport missions, and I think the idea of having a more general ports policing training which could cover airports and other ports is also a sensible approach.

Quote from omnishambles

I would certainly like to see more airport missions, and I think the idea of having a more general ports policing training which could cover airports and other ports is also a sensible approach.

You have to have multiple airport to have more airport missions the way it was explained to me. The more airports you have the more apt you are to generate airport missions

Quote from ChiefBoden61

You have to have multiple airport to have more airport missions the way it was explained to me. The more airports you have the more apt you are to generate airport missions

No, there is literally not that many possible calls that can spawn.

Airfield Policing (that needs the "Aviation Policing Extension" to spawn) there is technically only one "Runway Inspection" (I think it can also spawn via the Aviation firefighting extension too so its not even "unique" to the policing one)

There is another Police call that can spawn on the airport PoIs: Wanted Person on Flight

And I think that is it.

2 missions covering airfield policing currently in-game, despite the extension already being in-game. (and quite frankly. Police shouldnt be a requirement for the Runway Inspection, but that is another matter entirely)

ARFF is better, there is about 10 calls currently (though the unit requirements for most of them is kinda dumb, but that is a matter for a different thread)

sorry, I missed that this is the UK side. The US Version has 50+ airport missions that can spawn. Apologize for jumping in the wrong side.

Quote from ChiefBoden61

You have to have multiple airport to have more airport missions the way it was explained to me. The more airports you have the more apt you are to generate airport missions

Sorry - I meant I'd like more airport policing missions added to the pool of possible missions.