Winnipeg police looking to acquire a new helicopter

Posted on October 1, 2024 by Peggy

Winnipeg police say they need to replace their eyes in the sky.

The City of Winnipeg posted a tender online last week for a lease-to-own police helicopter.

The Winnipeg Police Service’s current EC-120B Colibri, also known as Air1, has flown thousands of hours over the city and is now nearing the end of its life.

Supt. Brian Miln, head of the service’s operational support division, says replacement parts have become increasingly hard to find.

“We were getting estimates of six months to 12 months lead time on parts,” Miln said in an interview Tuesday.

“So we certainly don’t want to be in that position where this asset gets grounded for extended periods because of parts supply issues.”

The tender lists the custom specifications the city wants the new helicopter to have. It is looking to buy an Airbus H125 with thermal-imaging cameras, a searchlight and other equipment.

And rather than purchase the helicopter outright, the city wants to acquire it through a lease-to-own agreement.

The city bought its current Air1 helicopter for $3.5 million in 2010. Operating costs have fluctuated over the years, rising from just over $2 million in 2018 to $2.64 million in 2022.

Miln says it’s worth the price.

“This is an incredibly important asset to us and to the citizens of Winnipeg. It provides an invaluable service and, I would argue, incredible value for the amount of dollars that are put into it,” he said.

As their eyes in the sky, the helicopter allows officers to monitor situations from a safe distance, reducing the need for on-the-ground chases that can endanger lives and property.

Coun. Markus Chambers, who chairs the Winnipeg Police Board, says it’s not only useful in pursuits.

“We’ve had instances in the past where it was able to spot and detect fires on [the roofs of] buildings. So it has multiple uses,” he said.

Mixed reactions

Reactions to the Air1 helicopter have been mixed over the years.

Some have questioned the cost. Former mayor Glen Murray, running as a mayoral candidate in the 2022 civic election, pledged to replace the helicopter with drones.

Winnipeg police began adding drones to their arsenal in 2019, but Miln says drones are limited in how much area they can cover.

“Drone regulations in Canada still require line-of-sight for the operator. So drones are highly valuable as well, but it’s more for contained areas,” he said.

A 2019 survey report found a majority of respondents said the helicopter made them feel safer. The survey, conducted by MNP, included 600 people reached by phone and another 1,811 online.

Of the people who took the online survey, 56 per cent said Air1 improved their sense of safety and security, while 73 per cent of telephone respondents said the same.

But North End resident Mary Burton says people in the inner city have a different experience with the helicopter than residents in other neighbourhoods.

Burton, the executive director of Zoongizi Ode, a non-profit serving Indigenous youth and families, frequently notices the helicopter flying overhead.

“They don’t give any information to the community about why the helicopter is hovering over certain neighbourhoods and certain areas in the North End,” she said.

“To me, it seems like they’re looking to find trouble.”

The lack of communication about why the helicopter is in a particular area leads to feelings of distrust, Burton said.

Police say the helicopter serves the whole city, and is only dispatched to areas where calls come in.

The MNP survey was conducted as part of a review that recommended the police service purchase a second helicopter. Miln said the new helicopter will replace, rather than work alongside, the existing one.

The city doesn’t know how much the new helicopter will cost or how long the lease agreement may last. That will all be determined in negotiations between the police service and whoever bids on the tender.

Police hope to have the new helicopter operating by next year. However, Chambers said the process of selecting a vendor, as well as supply chain issues, could mean it takes up to two years.