Cop 'copter helped in 185 arrests in 2012

The police helicopter helped ring up 185 arrests in 2012.

That’s the most pertinent detail released Tuesday in the city’s annual flight operations report for the police helicopter. Police say Air1 responded to 3,445 incidents in total in its first full year in the sky, with the most frequent including traffic stops, break and enters, robberies, and assaults.

The police helicopter, which is budgeted to fly 1,000 hours per year, also helped Mounties, the Morden Police Service, and the Manitoba Finance special investigations unit in 2012, the report states.

The $3.5-million helicopter, which police started using in February 2011, was purchased b the city. The province pays $1.2 million per year in operating costs, which includes the cost of pilots and tactical flight officers.

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