Police, City of Ottawa show off new crime fighting helicopter

In a joint press conference, the City of Ottawa, the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) and the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) showed off a helicopter said to be a “game changer” for the nation’s capital.

The reannouncement was made on Monday by the province after Ontario promised five helicopters for police across the province in its budget, including in Ottawa, Toronto, Peel Region, Halton Region and Durham Region.

For Ottawa, the helicopter will be operated by OPP but will come equipped with a OPS officer who will help with the technical details in the air and have knowledge of the area.

The tool will assist police in apprehending suspects, tracking stolen vehicles and finding missing people. Police said that stolen vehicles in Ottawa are trending upward from the more than 1,000 that were taken in 2023.

The helicopters have yet to be ordered but OPS said they should be fully operational in 12 to 18 months, which according to officials is “lightening quick.”

It’s a part of the new Joint Air Support Team that will see OPP acquire two new H135 helicopters, one for Ottawa and the other for Toronto. It is costing the Ontario government $134 million.

Despite the cost associated with the helicopters, officials said they are well worth the price over additions of drones.

“The types of work the helicopter will do is vast compared to a drone,” OPS Chief Eric Stubbs said at the press conference on the tarmac of the Rockcliffe Airport.

Officials at the press conference repeatedly commented on the “unique challenges” OPS face due to the geographical size of the city.

According to Stubbs, the nation’s capital is the largest area in Canada for a municipal police force to oversee. The addition of the helicopter will allow the force to police more efficiently from end-to-end of the community, he said.

Just last night, according to the chief, the helicopter would have been in use if the force had it. Police were responding to a stolen vehicle and had to back off from a chase due to safety concerns.

Officers were eventually able to located the vehicle and arrest the person who had multiple charges laid against him for having drugs, a weapon and for being out on bail.

“Would have been easier with the helicopter,” Stubbs said.