Cape Town has allocated a record R6.8 billion to its Safety and Security Directorate for the 2026/27 financial year, the largest policing budget in the city’s history. The allocation combines increased personnel with expanded digital surveillance, including drones, CCTV cameras and police body cameras.
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Drone fleet, CCTV and body cameras
A significant portion of the Cape Town safety budget 2026/27 targets aerial surveillance, with plans to grow the drone fleet for crime prevention, disaster management and evidence collection. The Safety and Security Directorate oversees the Metro Police, Traffic Services, Law Enforcement, the Fire and Rescue Service and Disaster Risk Management, and the City has positioned the increase as central to its strategy to strengthen visible policing and supplement SAPS capacity across the metro.
Sources
- City of Cape Town 2026/27 Budget Statement
- City of Cape Town Safety and Security Directorate
- Western Cape Government safety and policing oversight reports
