The Winnipeg Police Service answered questions this afternoon about their helicopter being used for a movie shoot.

Public information officer constable Rob Carver said he was surprised to be doing so.

"I cannot imagine anyone asking a city that is trying to promote the film industry why this is a bad idea. Maybe it's just me, but it's beyond my comprehension that somehow this is a thing. Winnipeg has staked out a name for itself as being a centre to be able to do really great films," said Carver.

With the production company paying the flight's cost, public information officer constable Rob Carver said he thinks he'd have a hard time answering questions if the service had denied Air1's use in the film.

"When I was asked about this on the weekend, I asked the reporter who posed the question to simply take out 'City of Winnipeg' and put in 'City of New York.' So, massive amounts of films and TV produced in that city, and I watch a lot of shows where they're filmed in New York, they've got New York cops, they've got New York police cars," said Carver.

In a statement on Friday, police said the flight time for the shoot, which happened in December, was 72 minutes, including flight time from the hangar and back, and the helicopter was never more than a few seconds from city limits.