The Saskatoon Police Service air support unit (ASU) was responsible for 153 arrests in 2018, a new report says.
The unit handled just over 1,200 calls during the year, according to the report going to the Saskatoon board of police commissioners, and resulted in 400 charges being laid.
That is down from previous years, but the report notes ASU switched aircraft last year and it took time to retrofit the new plane.
A priority for the unit is traffic safety issues and targeting aggressive drivers, police officials said, and to provide support to frontline patrol officers.
ASU said it was involved in 35 police evasion incidents and had a 100 per cent success rate when ground units were involved.
The unit also assisted other agencies and reported 15 fires to the appropriate agency, the report says.
The report also noted a decrease in the number of noise complaints related to the aircraft. ASU attributed this to additional exhaust equipment along with better communication with the public.
The ASU started as a pilot project in 2005, and just completed its 14th year of operation.
The report will be presented to the police commission on June 20.
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