New police helicopter for northern Queensland
The Australian state of Queensland will establish a new police helicopter capability to serve its Far North region
The state government has announced that it will award funding to the Queensland Police Service (QPS) to create the new police aviation capability, centered on the region’s largest city, Cairns.
The move was made in response to advice from the QPS, strong advocacy from members of parliament (MP) in Cairns, and the success of a similar initiative in southeast Queensland.
The QPS will now begin the process of establishing an interim capability ahead of procuring a permanent aircraft and operator for the region.