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

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

In a written response to the national security committee of the Senate, the RCMP said replacing the drones would cost over $30 million, approximately $35,000 per device. The high cost is related to the fact that non-Chinese drones are nearly twice as expensive, the RCMP said.