Queensland Police Service (QPS) has significantly enhanced its aerial policing capability across Far Northern Queensland, with the official launch of POLAIR in Cairns on 20 May.
The milestone marks a major advancement in the QPS's frontline response capabilities.
Building on the aerial support operations that commenced in Cairns in 2024, the new base is now home to a cutting-edge Bell 429 helicopter stationed at Cairns Airport.
A recently refurbished hangar has been established to support the base's operations, ensuring the aircraft is ready to respond to critical incidents at a moment's notice.
The Cairns location serves as a satellite base under the POLAIR North Queensland contract with Meridian Helicopters, which has a total of three helicopters in the fleet.
The other two aircraft operate from Townsville, with one serving as the District's primary helicopter, and the other rotating between Cairns and Townsville to ensure uninterrupted aerial support during maintenance periods.
The newly established base and enhanced capability allow police to cover vast distances quickly between Hopevale to the north, out west to Georgetown and back to the main Townsville POLAIR base in the south, responding rapidly to critical incidents and provide vital support to frontline operations.
The aerial capability has already supported a wide range of operations, including tracking stolen vehicles, responding to serious domestic incidents, searching for missing persons and assisting in the arrest of offenders.
The value of POLAIR's capabilities was recently demonstrated during the successful search for an 87-year-old woman who went missing from Kewarra Beach on 9 May.
Aerial crews worked alongside ground officers to search the area where the woman was last seen earlier that morning, using POLAIR's public announcement (PA) capability to alert residents and encourage their assistance.
The broadcast prompted a father and son to join the effort, resulting in the boy locating the woman safe and well later that evening.
The aerial capability proved instrumental in mobilising the community, which ended in a positive result for all involved.
Far Northern Region Assistant Commissioner Kevin Guteridge said the launch of POLAIR in Cairns represented a major advancement for policing in the region.
"With POLAIR as our eyes in the sky, we are further strengthening our ability to respond swiftly to emergencies and ensuring our communities benefit from enhanced aerial support, no matter how remote the location," Assistant Commissioner Guteridge said.
"POLAIR provides an invaluable advantage in a region defined by distance, terrain and unique operational challenges, and this expansion reflects our commitment to keeping Far North Queensland communities safe."
POLAIR Operations Manager Chief Inspector Daniel Bust said the aerial capability had already delivered strong results across the region.
"In 2025 alone, the POLAIR Cairns team achieved excellent outcomes, responding to more than 649 calls for service to support a wide range of community safety and policing operations," Chief Inspector Bust said.
"Having POLAIR based in Cairns means we can quickly deploy aerial support and provide real-time situational awareness to support frontline and specialist policing responses.
"Our Tactical Flight Officers (TFO) and officers on the ground have demonstrated excellent coordination, working seamlessly together to help keep Far North Queensland communities safe."
Chief Inspector Bust said advanced technology, specialised equipment and highly trained TFOs had been central to the unit's effectiveness in the District to date.
"The POLAIR helicopters are fitted with state-of-the-art equipment and safety technology, including Forward Looking Infrared camera (FLIR) sensors and communication tools, all of which are vital when responding to serious and time-sensitive incidents," he said.
"With Cairns now hosting full time POLAIR operations, the aircraft can also conduct night flights using advanced night vision imaging systems, further enhancing our operational reach.
"When Far North Queensland community members see our aircraft overhead, we want them to know that police are actively working to keep them and their communities safe."
POLAIR helicopter statistics for Cairns since 1 January 2025 (current as of 13 May 2026):
- Responded to 825 calls for service;
- First QPS asset on scene for 320 jobs;
- Assisted with 20 searches for vulnerable or missing persons;
- Assisted with the arrest of 283 offenders, including 84 young offenders;
- Attended 117 serious domestic and family violence incidents as a first response capability and involved in containing or locating 56 respondents;
- Responded to 124 stolen vehicle jobs and recovered 78 stolen vehicles.
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