The BPS plans to increase aviation crew and restart their sky patrols over Gaborone, which were suspended after the crash in April, due to the lack of craft. Yesterday, the director of the Air Support Branch, Arthur Johnson told Mmegi that the only obstacle to their goals is lack of funds, but they are hopeful that they will secure extra helicopters in the near future. Prior to the crash – which claimed the lives of three officers – the police service had three helicopters doing patrols around the country. “The most urgent task right now is to replace the helicopter that was lost during the accident,” Johnson said.
“We had plans to increase our fleet even before the crash. There was even a tender notice that was floating before the accident. “But right now we are under pressure to replace the lost helicopter so that we can at least go back to our normal routines,” said Johnson. He said two officers are currently being trained as pilots in South Africa. The service had 11 trained pilots and lost two during the crash. “Now we have nine. We have four based in Francistown, while three are operational here in Gaborone.
