Police helicopter review ought to be independent of law enforcement, mayor says

Winnipeg's mayor wants the review of the city's police helicopter to be conducted by an independent entity.

The Winnipeg Police Service is contemplating a detailed review of its flight operations unit, Deputy Chief Gord Perrier said Monday.

While policeareconfident in the qualitative benefits of operating the helicopter known as Air1, Perrier said, the service isinterested in better quantifying the benefits of keeping the helicopter in the air.

• Police to review helicopter operations even after province loses interest

Mayor Brian Bowman said he too would like to see such a review take place, but he would prefer to see someone other than police conduct the study.

"I've been up in it. I've seen the benefits of it. It's incredible technology," Bowman said Tuesday. "Whether or not that return on investment is [a] good use for tax dollars, I've been open for my preference for an independent return-on-investment study.

"But ultimately that's going to be a question for the police service through the oversight of the Winnipeg Police Board."

The former NDP provincial government pledged to review the helicopter's operations. Following its defeat in 2016, the Progressive Conservative government initially signalled it intended to follow suit.

It has since backed away from the review. The province has also hinted it will no longer cover all of the helicopter's operating costs this year, as it has told the city to expect the same cash transfers for all programs it received in 2016.

Bowman said the city is trying to discern whether the province will or will not cover the inflationary increases in helicopter fuel and operations salaries this year.