Regina Police praise new aerial support unit

The six-officer ASU began operations with the Saskatchewan-based police service on 20 January, and assisted in responding to a range of incidents in its first two months. RPS credited the ASU with assisting in:

• 97 arrests being made
• 127 charges being laid
• 34 warrants being executed
• 14 stolen vehicles being recovered, and
• 41 transports of ground units.

RPS credited the unit with having a ‘direct impact on reducing victimization and holding offenders accountable in our community’.

The unit’s primary role is to provide real-time information to uniformed police officers who are on call, and to plain clothes officers working on ongoing investigations. RPS also stated that the unit was ‘vital in locating missing or vulnerable persons, and assisting on other non-criminal investigations’.

Six officers and a Cessna

The unit is made up of six police officers, including two Pilots and four Tactical Flight Officers (TFO). The pilots are trained RPS officers with commercial pilot licenses, while the TFOs are responsible for monitoring police radio and camera technology, and communicating with officers on the ground.

The unit uses a recently acquired 2005 Cessna 182T fitted with a wide-angle, infrared camera. RPS stated that the aircraft, camera and additional tools and technology were purchased through a partnership with Provincial Civil Forfeiture and Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI). The former contributed approximately C$600,000 (US$442,773), while the latter provided C$120,000.

“With a unique vantage point, the ASU is able to address crimes in progress by quickly locating suspects and directing our patrol units to make arrests.” said Deputy Chief Dean Rae. “In just two months, the ASU has proven to be a valuable investment. We are proud of the positive impact on public safety and are committed to continuing our work to keep our community safe from the air and on the ground.”

Non-profit air ambulance service STARS received a financial windfall worth C$10 million from five Saskatchewan-based Crown Corporations in October 2022.