P.E.I. RCMP make multiple arrests using first-ever helicopter enforcement effort

An RCMP sign is pictured in St. Margaret's Bay, N.S. (CTV Atlantic / Serena Rodgers)

RCMP in Prince Edward Island employed a helicopter to support targeted enforcement in the province for the first time on Friday and Saturday.

The helicopter was used to support officers in West Prince in their efforts to prevent impaired driving and enforce “dangerous flight-from-police situations,” said a new release.

Police stopped more than 100 vehicles Friday and Saturday nights in West Prince and located four drivers who fled from officers in cars, trucks and ATVS using the helicopter. All four drivers were arrested for impaired driving and flight from police. A fifth driver who did not take flight was arrested for impaired driving. In one case, the driver allegedly had a “vehicle full of young people, highlighting the severe risks associated with this behaviour.”

“The use of the helicopter in this operation demonstrates how we are embracing innovative approaches to support frontline police and protect our communities,” said Chief Superintendent Kevin Lewis, RCMP’s commanding officer in P.E.I.

Totals:

• 115 traffic stops
• 23 violation tickets issued
• four flight from police arrests
• five impaired driving arrests.

Police chose their locations for enforcement actions based on flight from police incident data. RCMP said Prince County also has the highest fatal motor vehicle collision numbers per capita in the province.

Fifty per cent of Prince Edward Island’s fatal crashes in RCMP jurisdiction took place in Prince County over the last five years, said the release. Only 30 per cent of the population live in that county.

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