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First Minister Alex Salmond has warned that handing control of the UK’s helicopter search and rescue (SAR) service to a private company could undermine the life-saving service.

It was announced yesterday that Texan firm Bristow Helicopters has been awarded a £1.6 billion contract to provide the service for 10 years from 2015.

For the past 70 years helicopter SAR has been the responsibility of the RAF and Royal Navy.

In an exclusive interview with The Courier, the First Minister said he is “deeply suspicious” of the plans.

He said the changes run the risk of making the service “less effective” than at present.

However, Stuart Johnson, team leader with the Tayside Mountain Rescue Team, has no such concerns.

He said: “Mountain rescue has absolutely no concerns whatsoever with the contract going into private hands and I would even go so far as to say we are delighted the announcement has been made.

“This will allow us to move forward with the training programme with new helicopters for their deployment in 2015.”

For more on this story, and our Alex Salmond interview, see Wednesday’s Courier or try our digital edition.