Black Hawk helicopter patrolling B.C.-U.S. border as part of security plan
Action comes as U.S. President Donald Trump cites border security as reason behind tariff threat
B.C. RCMP say they have begun using a Black Hawk helicopter to patrol the United States border as part of efforts to stop smuggling and illegal crossings.
Police say people shouldn't be alarmed to see or hear the new Black Hawk in action on the borders with Washington, Idaho and Montana.
They say the helicopter will be targeting human smuggling, drug and contraband trafficking and people who illegally cross in and out of Canada.
Officer in charge of border integrity Supt. Bert Ferreira says the border is "well secured on both sides."
"This will augment not only the men and women we have on the ground, but all the technology that we have deployed here," he told reporters.
The Black Hawk is part of a larger $1.3-billion plan by the federal government to bolster border security involving helicopters, drones and the deployment of nearly 10,000 front-line personnel.
U.S. President Donald Trump has cited border security as a reason for his threatened 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods, which are now on pause until March.