A teenager has been charged with several offences after a police aeroplane was sent into the sky on Saturday (November 18). The plane was seen circling the skies for more than two hours in Coventry.
A fixed-wing aircraft from the NPAS (National Police Air Service) was deployed alongside West Midlands Police. Officers were reportedly conducting vehicle searches in Radford, Wood End, Walsgrave, and Hillfields between 1.20pm and 3.30pm.
Crews from the NPAS were able to assist with a further suspect vehicle search. Raydell Lennox was detained at around 3.30pm on Saturday.
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Lennox, 18, of Dawson Street, Smethwick, was charged with driving without insurance, possession of cannabis, theft, driving without a licence and driving a vehicle taken without the consent of the owner, said West Midlands Police. He was remanded to appear at Coventry Magistrates’ Court on Monday (November 20).
A spokesman for the NPAS said the aircraft continued to patrol over the Midlands on Saturday. It was then diverted to a search for a person in the North West.
Aeroplanes are regularly deployed from Leeds Bradford Airport because they can fly for up to eight hours, making them a valuable resource for prolonged and pre-planned policing operations, said the NPAS. It means they can remain in the air for several hours in order to respond to ‘dynamic incidents.’
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