The South African Police Service (SAPS) has completed the purchase of a hi-tech mobile police unit, which will be used to monitor stadiums during the 2010 Fifa World Cup.
The unit, said to be worth millions, is decked out with all kinds of equipment, including plasma monitors and satellite uplinks.
SAPS senior superintendent Vishnu Naidoo says the police have taken delivery of one of 10 mobile police units, which will be stationed at each of the host cities during the tournament next year. Naidoo would not say precisely how much the units cost, but stated that the one purchased cost “millions”.
The units form part of the police's R650 million procurement drive for 2010, which includes 10 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), six Robinson Raven II R44 helicopters, water cannons, and bulletproof vests, among other equipment.
According to First National Bank 2010 blogger Donovan Jackson, the first mobile police unit has been spotted in public, and consisted of a Land Rover Discovery towing a caravan equipped with satellite uplinks and computer hardware.
“For security reasons, I cannot give any specifications on the vehicles, except that because they are mobile they will be easy to deploy for any operation,” Naidoo notes. “We expect the units to benefit our crime-fighting initiatives long after the World Cup.”
This is not the first time SAPS has been secretive about a 2010 purchase. Earlier this year, the police bought six Raven II R44 helicopters for more than R30 million. The helicopters were said to be bought in lieu of the UAVs, yet SAPS communications director Sally de Beer quashed those rumours.
“We are in the process of evaluating what UAVs are available and plan to make the procurements by the end of 2009,” she said.
Related stories:
Cops flip-flop on UAVs
SAPS halts UAV acquisition
Confusion over R3b SAPS allocation
Cops get hi-tech rides
Cops award R900m Tetra deal
Share