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The Royal Canadian Mounted Police has scaled back the use of its 973 Chinese-made drones until they are operational, citing the existing equipment as “high security risks, especially for their country.”
China Drones make up about 80 percent of the Federal Police Force’s fleet of 1,230), which are used to monitor the Canada-US border and in various police operations.
In a written response to the Senate National Security Committee, the RCMP said replacing the drones would cost more than $30 million, about $35,000 per device. The high cost is related to the fact that non-Chinese drones are nearly as expensive, the RCMP said.
The RCMP’s concern stems from the potential dangers associated with drone communications and data transmission systems, experts say.
“Any connected resource raises questions about security risks,” said Ygal Bendavid, a professor specializing in operations management at the UnivertIté Du Québec à Montréal.
Wesley Wark of the International Sortation think tank said the RCMPP appears to have found the right solutions to its use of Chinese drones, adding that the truth is always the second best. “
Currently, the RCMP limits the drones’ data transmission to what they call “non-sensitive operations,” such as those involving missing persons, vehicle theft and community policing.
The RCMP said it does not use Chinese drones for operations involving emergency response teams, protection of VIPs such as Ministers and foreign officials, border integrity operations and investigations with US and US authorities.
For these very sensitive things, the RCMP relies on 112 French drones, 96 from the United States and 24 from Belgium. It does not benefit any Canadians, according to a response to questions from Conservative Sen. Claude Carrignan.
The RCMP says the Chinese drones are being bought before they end their use in 2023. It says the devices offer significant savings in time and money, especially compared to airplanes or helicopters.
“The use of RPA is a cost-effective way of using a helicopter or helicopter to investigate, and it can reach difficult areas,” the RCMP said in a response to the relevant committee.
Experts say the RCMP needs to be careful when it comes to Chinese drones, given that they cannot compete with the origin of thousands of components, software and data storage systems.
“Concern is valid and as a safety measure, they should be careful,” said Bandavid.
Wark said the RCMP appeared to have purchased the drones “without much thought to strategic needs or security issues.”
“In the future, all purchases of drones by Federal Agencies for security purposes should be a change in the middle and risk prevention should be done for them as a matter of course,” said Wark.
“The purchase of small drones for security purposes should be a priority for Canadian manufacturers and chains.”
