RCMP restricts use of its Chinese-made drones – which make up the majority of its fleet

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is limiting the use of its 973 Chinese-made drones to non-sensitive tasks, saying the devices present a “high security risk primarily due to their country of origin.”

Chinese drones make up about 80 percent of the federal police force’s fleet of 1,230 remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS), which are used to monitor the Canada-US border and in various police operations.

In a written response to the Senate National Security Committee, the RCMP said replacing the drones would cost more than $30 million, about $35,000 per device. The RCMP said the higher cost is related to the fact that non-Chinese drones are almost twice as expensive.

Experts said the RCMP’s concerns stem from potential risks related to drones’ communications and data-transmission systems.

“Any connected device raises questions about security vulnerabilities,” said Ygal Bendavid, a professor specializing in operations management at the Université du Québec à Montréal.

Wesley Wark of the Center for International Governance Innovation said the RCMP has found the right solution to Chinese drone use, adding that “mitigation is always the second best option after the fact.”

For now, the RCMP is restricting drones’ in-flight transmission of data and dedicating them to “non-sensitive tasks,” such as operations involving missing persons, car thefts and community policing.

The RCMP said it never uses Chinese drones for activities involving emergency response teams, security of VIPs such as ministers and foreign dignitaries, border integrity operations and investigations with U.S. authorities.

For these more sensitive operations, the RCMP relies on 112 French drones, 96 from the United States and 24 from Belgium. It does not use any Canadian drones, according to answers to questions from Conservative Senator Claude Carignan.

RCMP say the Chinese drones were purchased before their use was banned in 2023. It says the devices offer significant savings in time and money, especially compared to planes or helicopters.

“The use of RPAS is a cost-effective alternative to deploying helicopters or fixed-wing aircraft for investigation missions, and they can reach hard to reach locations while saving time and money by directing police resources to the right locations,” the RCMP said in its response to the Senate committee.

Experts said the RCMP needs to be cautious when it comes to Chinese drones, because it can’t verify the origin of thousands of parts, software and data-storage systems.

“The concern is legitimate and as a precautionary measure, they have to be careful,” Bendavid said.

Wark said the RCMP appeared to have purchased the drones “without much consideration of strategic needs or security issues.”

“In the future, all drone purchases by federal agencies should be centralized for security purposes and security vulnerability testing should be performed on them,” Wark said.

“Canadian manufacturers and supply chains should be prioritized in the procurement of small drones for security purposes.”