Black Hawk helicopters are now patrolling the border
Sarah Rennie – LJI reporter
Valley residents living along the U.S. border are getting used to hearing the heavy thumping of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s new Black Hawk helicopter as it flies overhead.
The RCMP deployed the military helicopter on January 17 to shore up its surveillance and response capabilities along the border while clamping down on illegal migration and drug smuggling.
“We want to send a message to the Americans that we are taking this very seriously,” said Sgt. Charles Poirier during a January 30 press conference in Saint-Antoine-Abbé, which took place just kilometres from what he described as an illegal migration hotspot.
“We are very serious about our measures, that we are present, and that we intervene every day,” he added, noting the helicopter allows officers to respond more rapidly and with greater flexibility to any situation along the border.
The Black Hawk is one of two choppers on loan until the end of March at a cost of $5.3 million, from the Ontario-based company Helicopter Transport Services. A second helicopter is currently stationed in Manitoba.
Poirier said that officers in the field are already benefitting from the new measures. He explained that the Black Hawk allows the RCMP to respond more quickly and to transport teams from one location to another, given the sheer size of the territory. “Let’s say an intervention takes 30 minutes in a vehicle; we might be there in five minutes in a Black Hawk.”
The helicopter, which allows officers to rappel down or hoist individuals as needed, will also be used to assist ground patrols by identifying suspicious activity from the air.
Poirier said the new acquisition complements the RCMP’s existing fleet, which includes a smaller helicopter, several drones, patrol vehicles, all-terrain-vehicles, snowmobiles, and amphibious vehicles. “We also have an entire technological apparatus at the border, including cameras, sensors, and other detection mechanisms,” he noted.
‘We want to reassure people’
Along with communicating a message to the U.S. on border security, Poirier suggested the RCMP also wanted to inform locals about the presence of the helicopters. “They are imposing. They look like the military, and people who live along the border will see them on a regular basis. They also fly very low sometimes, and they make a lot of noise,” he acknowledged. “We want to reassure the people who live along the border to know that it is us and that there is nothing unusual going on.”
The Black Hawks flying overhead have been the topic of conversation between locals across the Valley, with many saying they were alarmed, or at best confused, by their presence.
“They went over my house three times, directly over the roof,” said a Hinchinbrooke resident. “It is loud and it’s invasive and it just seems like our peaceful little border has become something else just overnight,” she added, noting that the RCMP had already installed cameras at the end of her road. “I feel like I am being watched all the time,” she said.
“We understand that this can be an inconvenience,” Poirier said, noting that any issues relating to the helicopters and increased border patrols can be signaled to the RCMP, and efforts will be made to accommodate such concerns.
“One thing that needs to be clear is that we don’t randomly patrol the border. Every patrol we make is based on intelligence. It is focused,” said Poirier, noting that officers typically concentrate their efforts on a hot spot or problem area where they can work within the community.
“Local help is essential to our mandate,” he said. “We can’t be everywhere at once. We work very well with the public, and we recognize the inconvenience of having people crossing on their property,” he continued, noting that anything out of the ordinary, “whether it’s an individual, several individuals, a vehicle, even if it’s just a backpack on their property,” can be reported to the RCMP and an officer will be dispatched to investigate.
Situation is ‘under control’
According to Poirier, the helicopters will be used primarily to follow up on intelligence received, where officers can signal a location from the air to those on the ground so they can better concentrate their patrol. In the event an individual has crossed the border and has not been located within a certain amount of time, the helicopter may also be deployed for a “search-and-collect” operation.
A Hemmingford maple syrup producer says he regularly finds articles of clothing and tracks running through his sugar bush located along the border. He observed that since the helicopters began flying overhead, there has been very little evidence of people moving through the forest. He recalled feeling a bit nervous after the helicopter circled above him a few times while he was preparing his trees for the upcoming sugar season.
Poirier reiterated that the situation along the border is under control, noting both south- and north-bound movement across the line by migrants is relatively quiet at the moment. “The numbers are quite low,” he confirmed, while highlighting the RCMP’s focus on smuggling networks operating in the area.
Poirier also addressed American concerns over the trafficking of fentanyl across the border. “Less than one per cent of the fentanyl currently on U.S. streets comes from Canada. In the last 12 months, in Quebec alone, we haven’t seen any fentanyl destined for the American market,” he confirmed.
Poirier reiterated the importance of sending a strong message to the Americans that border security is being taken very seriously by the RCMP; but he noted it is also important to remember the facts.
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