RCMP begin helicopter patrols along Alberta border with U.S.

An RCMP Black Hawk helicopter, one of two the force is leasing as part of an effort to reinforce its Canada-US border surveillance capability, is shown in Ottawa in a Jan.17, 2025, handout photo. (Serge Gouin, RCMP-GRC/The Canadian Press-handout) (Serge Gouin/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

An RCMP helicopter has started patrols of the Canada-U.S. border in Alberta.

Police said in a media release a Black Hawk helicopter began patrols on Tuesday.

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They said the patrols along the border will search for and target illegal activity, including people who enter Canada illegally, human smugglers, and to detect and stop smuggling and trafficking of drugs into and out of the country. The Black Hawk helicopters can also help direct border security vehicles on land, police said.

The helicopters, originally designed for military use, have officers on-board who can respond to incidents, RCMP said in the media release.

Assistant Commissioner Lisa Moreland, the RCMP regional commander of federal policing in the northwest region, said the “range and speed” of the helicopters allows police to deploy them “very quickly to any location along the Alberta border.”