City of Cape Town invests in drone technology to fight crime
Cape Town is set to become the first municipality in the country to use the technology.
CAPE TOWN - The City of Cape Town has vowed to fight crime in the Cape Flats using drone technology.
The City planned to incorporate drones into the crime-fighting regime and Cape Town would become the first municipality in the country to use the technology.
The city’s safety and security mayoral committee member, JP Smith, said this initiative would continue once it got the go-ahead from the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA).
“The city is in its final stages of obtaining licenses for our drone operations. We already have six trained pilots and we have purchased several drones, so we are ready to start using them as soon as we can obtain the necessary licenses from the SACAA,” he said.
Smith said staff had already been sent for training. However, it could take a year before the Mother City started to benefit from this new initiative.
“We believe that through the effective use of the drones, especially as an alternative to the much more expensive helicopters, that we are able to assist with public safety, and therefore we have made this very specific investment in the area of surveillance.”
