Botswana Police is said to be currently in negotiations with the manufacturer over a myriad of issues, including helicopter specifications, added systems, and the price.
Assistant Police Commissioner Tapudzane Gabolekwe, who is the project manager for the second phase, says the next stage is the recruitment of officers to be trained for various roles within the wing.
An advertisement has been sent out within the service to find candidates to train for the many positions we need to fill. These include pilots, technicians and airborne law enforcement officers as well as other auxiliary positions. At the same time we are also in the process of locating the right schools to send the officers to, he said. Officers are scheduled to start training around July and August.
He said if everything goes according to plan officers should be ready to run the wing soon as the helicopters are delivered. It would take up to 14 months from the date of final agreement to the date of delivery because the helicopters have to be manufactured. After our agreement is finalised the manufacturer would go and make the helicopters to our specifications he explained.
Gabolekwe said that the plan has been designed such that by the time the helicopters are delivered local trained manpower will be already in place.
Many law enforcement agencies around the world use various models of the AS 350 B3 helicopter.
