Romanian Police to acquire helicopters, patrol cars for monitoring traffic
The Ministry of the Interior intends to buy two helicopters and 200 new patrol cars meant for monitoring traffic and is prepared to spend as much as EUR 60 million.
Dubbed “HeliPol,” the ministry’s plan is to be discussed during the Government’s meeting today, August 10. If approved, the Police will be equipped with one helicopter with a flight autonomy of at least 120 minutes which, they say, cited by G4Media, “will directly contribute to strengthening the capacity of the Romanian Police to monitor and manage road traffic.”
The second helicopter is to have double the first’s flight autonomy and enhanced video surveillance capabilities. It will be used to monitor violations of traffic and increase road safety, according to the ministry’s proposal.
One would be hard pressed to deny the need for increased road safety in the country. Romania’s roads are the deadliest in the EU. In 2020, 85.1 persons per million inhabitants were killed in road accidents in Romania, placing it at the top of a ranking that measures road traffic deaths, according to Eurostat.
To ensure efficient communication between the new helicopters and units on the ground, police chiefs also want to purchase modern communications infrastructure and satellite terminals.
The same project would have the Traffic Police receive 200 new patrol cars. The Interior Ministry has previously argued that the Romanian Traffic Police would ideally have around 1,800 cars in total, with 40 cars for each unit. Officials now say that there is currently a deficit of 500 cars, driving the number down to a less-than-ideal 29 functioning patrol cars per unit.
The 200 new cars will be distributed among Romania’s regions, with special priority given to units that operate in remote areas with terrain that is difficult to access.
The cost of the entire project is to be covered by the state budget.
(Photo source: Vlad Ispas | Dreamstime.com)
