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Montreal police borrow helicopter to keep an eye on the island Friday night

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Montreal residents enjoying a balmy Friday evening may have noticed something unusual flying overhead throughout the night.

Montreal police (SPVM) spokesperson Raphael Bergeron said they requested a Surete du Quebec (SQ) helicopter to surveil the island's "hot spots" after last weekend's post-curfew parties, crowds and some violence.

"We had a pretty rough weekend last weekend, so we wanted to ensure a police presence as well as visibility," said Bergeron.

Montreal's Old Port is now closed between midnight and 6 a.m. after several busy nights for police. After the Montreal Canadiens' win over the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 6 last Saturday, a 19-year-old man was stabbed and 18-year-old woman shot in the foot during festivities.

On Friday night, the SQ helicopter flew over parks, Old Montreal and other areas where crowds gathered last weekend to get a sense of what the post-curfew, deconfinement world would look like in the summer.

Bergeron would not say whether the SQ helicopter would be used tonight, but that it would not be a regular part of SPVM patrols.

"We don't have a permanent helicopter," he said. "We asked for the Surete du Quebec helicopter as a visibility and presence and all the places on the island." 

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