'Unique' method tracks down stolen truck in Labrador
The search for a stolen vehicle in Happy Valley-Goose Bay reached new heights early Wednesday morning when RCMP took to the air to track down a missing truck.
Police received a report of a stolen pickup truck around 12 a.m., but officers were unable to locate the vehicle during their patrol.
In an interview with CBC Radio's Labrador Morning, Cpl. Rick Mills says police received a tip around 8 a.m. that the truck had been spotted in the Grand Lake Road area.
Mills said it just so happened that, two hours later, the RCMP Twin Otter plane was en route to Happy Valley-Goose Bay from the north coast.
That's when officers contacted their colleagues aboard the plane to ask for assistance in locating the stolen truck.
"The police plane is a support service to the RCMP in Labrador and it's often used for ground search and rescue and for searches and stuff like that, especially on the north coast," Mills said.
"So to actually locate a vehicle like this is kind of unique."
Mills said using a plane to search for a missing vehicle, as opposed to a helicopter, is no easy task — especially considering the speed with which the plane travels.
"I know that in other parts of the country, they use the Pilatus [plane], which is often used in the northern communities," he said.
"My understanding is that it has something to do with the gravel on the runways used in Labrador, and the Twin Otter certainly fits that purpose much better than it would a Pilatus."
The Labrador unit's Twin Otter plane is the only one in the country still used by RCMP today.
While Mills said the incident is still under investigation, police believe the suspect is responsible for a series of cabin break-ins in the area.
A number of items were recovered from the back of the stolen truck.
Police are urging cabin owners in the Grand Lake Road area to contact local RCMP if they are missing any valuables.
