Drones deployed by the law enforcement authorities in the city of Cape Town in South Africa recently led to the arrest of five people linked to a spat of smash and grab crimes in one of the city’s suburbs.

A statement from the city praised the success what it described as an intelligence-led operation by the City’s Law Enforcement and Metro Police Departments, and drone surveillance technology, which led resulted in the arrest of five suspects linked to multiple smash-and-grab incidents in Elsies River, a suburb in the Cape Flats region, about 20 kilometres northeast of Cape Town CBD.

“Following the incidents over the last few weeks, intelligence teams analysed available data and reviewed CCTV footage to identify and profile the suspects,” the city statement said.

“The South African Police Service (SAPS) initiated an operation with the City’s departments and investigators secured warrants of arrest and launched a coordinated joint operation to apprehend those involved.

“During the operation, the CCT drone team provided real-time aerial surveillance, enabling officers on the ground to track suspect movements.”

“When one of the suspects attempted to flee, the drone maintained visual contact and coordinated the 20-minute foot pursuit by directing officers via radio communications to the suspect’s location.

“Overall, the operation concluded with the successful arrest of all five suspects.”

Drone footage released by the city shows a man trying to escape capture by climbing over rooftops. But the drone stays trained on him, and thanks to its direction, the police on the ground know where to look. The man was caught and brought into custody.

Political authorities in the city have expressed pride in their investment in drone and related technology to discourage criminals in a city which heavily relies on tourism as one of the pillars of its economy.

Last May the Democratic Alliance, the political party running the city, and the wider Western Cape province under which the Cape Town falls, released a statement saying it was going to increase routine public safety drone missions to about 3,000 by June 2027, up from 238 last year.

“The city routinely uses drones to assist with crime prevention and operational responses, including shooting incidents, smash-and-grab attacks, vehicle accidents and hotspot monitoring,” the DA said.

“These aerial assets provide real-time intelligence to officers on the ground, enabling faster and more effective interventions.”

The DA is also driving the use of drone technology in municipalities across the Western Cape province, including the Cape Winelands, Overberg, Garden Route and West Coast District Municipalities, while DA-run municipalities such as Cape Town and Kouga continue to demonstrate the value of these tools in protecting communities.

As for the latest triumph. The city’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith said he decided to recommend that drones help scout the Elsies River community, after other efforts failed.

‘Earlier this year in March, I met with the local improvement district, business owners, and operational staff in the area to discuss the ongoing challenge they experience with smash - and-grab incidents in the area,” Smith said.

“I also ensured to join two operations with Metro Police in the area to conduct oversight. It was after the second patrol, that I engaged our senior management because I didn’t feel a substantive solution was forthcoming. I want to commend SAPS and City enforcement agencies for making progress on this matter by securing these arrests.

“The result highlights the effectiveness of intelligence-driven policing, inter-agency cooperation, and the use of advanced technology in supporting crime prevention and suspect apprehension efforts.”

During the 2025-26 financial year, Cape Town said it conducted 3,643 drone flights, focused on monitoring land-invasion hotspots.

About 135 such areas are monitored monthly or every two months.

The drones are also used for fires, floods, search and rescue, crowd monitoring, tactical overwatch, officer safety and evidence collection. During search-and-rescue operations, drones can travel ahead of ground teams and provide commanders with an aerial safety view.