Police Minister Bheki Cele, says government is in the process of procuring 166 drones for its Rural Safety Strategy.
Cele said this while responding to a written parliamentary question by the Freedom Front Plus on whether the South African Police Service has purchased any drones to be used specifically for rural security.
The Minister says the drones will be disbursed to police in three phases across 43 districts.
The proposed model for the deployment of the drones will include various areas at Provincial Operational Command Centres and District Operational Command Centres.
The SAPS has already piloted drone units for policing services in Johannesburg, and this is the first time there will be a widespread use of drones as part of the national policing strategy
