Use of Helicopters, Drones and Horses Discussed at Police-Farmer Meeting

PRETORIA – The National Commissioner of the South African Police, General Khehla John Sitole, and other senior officers met today with Agri SA, TLU SA and AfriForum in an effort to address matters of criminality affecting rural communities, and said that helicopters, drones and mounted reservists would be used more to tackle rural crimes.

The police said “robust discussions” took place at the meeting, about mutual trust, the reservist system, a rural safety summit and cross-border crime affecting the farming community. Sitole once again pledged the “unwavering commitment of the South African Police Service to prioritise crimes in rural areas both proactively and reactively.”

Concerns about the growing number of farm attacks in South Africa – many of which appear to be intentionally brutal – has raised the visibility of rural crime. Numerous protests have been held over the past months to publicise farm attacks and murders.

“The implementation of stabilisation interventions in hotspot areas is critical to ensuring an effective proactive approach”, said Sitole

The meeting agreed to formalise the establishment of the national and local Joint Rural Safety Command Centres, which would realise an integration of both personnel and resources, among others, the use of helicopters and drones. Also discussed was the establishment of community-based mounted units, the Royal Reserve Police Service.

Fighting crimes, including farm attacks, in rural communities through visibility. There was also emphasis placed on addressing within a task team, the practical challenges with the recruitment and utilization of reservists to make it more accessible for the farming community.

As for cross-border crime, the police said emphasis had to be placed on resourcing police stations at the border, improving intelligence and the establishment of cross-border liaison committees.