Air Services

Aircrafts are an invaluable tool for the BC RCMP, allowing police officers a much greater field of vision whether they are conducting a search or following a suspect on the run from police.

The BC RCMP has fixed wing aircraft and helicopters based in seven different locations across BC: Vancouver / Boundary Bay, Comox, Kelowna, Langley, Prince George and Prince Rupert. Aircraft are strategically located to provide optimum service.

Air Services throughout BC:

The aircraft and crews are called upon to complete a diverse range of duties including:

• The transportation of investigators to remote areas
• Prisoner transport for RCMP and other agencies
• Tactical deployment of ERT resources and emergency response
• Support search and rescue operations throughout BC
• The movement of cargo and sensitive equipment
• Service to remote detachment areas across the Province of British Columbia – such as isolated communities.

As well, unmarked aircraft perform dedicated surveillance duties in support of our investigative units.

Additional Air Services in the Lower Mainland (Air 1 & 2):

In addition to the above services, there are two helicopters in the Lower Mainland dedicated to regular urban patrols. The LMD Urban Patrol helicopters - Air 1 &2 - provide daily support to the RCMP detachments and municipal police departments with regular patrols.

The Urban Patrol helicopters help reduce police response time, and enhance public and police officer safety, during emergency responses to crimes in public, when suspects flee from police.

Air 1 and 2 assist with:

• Criminal code investigations
• Traffic Safety (aggressive driving, street racing, impaired driving, management of vehicles fleeing from police)
• Amber alerts
• Search and rescue
• Border incidents
• FLIR (Forward-Looking InfraRed) and Night Sun (massive spotlight) searches.