On the 5th of June 2025, one of the UDS clients extended and invitation to the UDS team to a Crime Awareness campaign that was organised by the local Community Police Forum (CPF) in Vryheid. Learners from Mondlo Secondary School and Khondlo Secondary School were hosted for a day and were educated about the crimes that they, as learners, are prone to. They were educated about crimes that they may overlook and minimise to forgivable mistakes and crimes that they can be charged on. Awareness was raised based on statistics in their communities. In attendance were other security service providers, a Gender Based Violence (GBV) Group alongside the GBV department from the South African Police Services (SAPS), and inmates who shared their stories with the learners.

The learners were granted perspective on careers in the security sector – the functioning of the sector and how rewarding it is to work in this field of expertise. The UDS team contributed to educating the learners about how we are using drone technology as a tool to fight crime. We demonstrated how the technologies we use, in collaboration with armed forces on the ground to detect and apprehend suspects, make it harder to stay a criminal. Our team also shared information about career opportunities in unmanned aviation that they can consider, instead of committing crime to combat socio economic challenges in their communities.

Inmates shared their stories, helping the students how “small” crimes can lead the piling up of these offenses and to a lifetime of prison. One of the inmates was a GBV victim who ended up murdering her perpetrator, who raised awareness on how the dangers of impulsive decisions taken out of anger can lead to lifetime in prison. The other inmates spoke about the consequences of violence, emphasising how their backgrounds do not serve as grounds to breaking the law.

The campaign was a success! Demonstrating a security operation for the learners with one of our pilots flying a drone, an acting suspect identified in an act of crime, and ground team assisting in apprehending the suspect was the highlight. Our gratitude goes to our client who extended the invite to us. Connecting with the communities we serve with our services is an honour. And playing a part in shaping the mindsets of young people in the fight against crime is a privilege.