Zimbabwe plans purchase of four police helicopters

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The aircraft would be acquired as part of a raft of police vehicle purchases with a total value of US$60 million

Zimbabwe’s Finance and Economic Development Minister, Professor Mthuli Ncube, outlined the planned acquisitions in a speech to parliament, in which he said that the government intended to improve conditions for police officers.

He stated: “We have sourced US$60 million for purposes of purchasing cars, as well as motorcycles for the police, including four helicopters.”

While Ncube has confirmed that ‘procurement is underway’ for the new police vehicles, no further details about what type of helicopter the government intends to acquire have been made public.

Elsewhere, a number of police helicopters have been purchased: In Poland, two more S-70i rotorcraft were ordered for the National Police this month, while in the US, the city of Atlanta has ordered two MD 530Fs for its own police force, as well as the upgrading of a third helicopter.