Police force turns to drones for crime-fighting support
DRONES are set to be deployed by Hampshire Police as the force attempts to boost its crime-fighting capability.
As part of a pilot scheme to run until March 2020, the constabulary and Thames Valley Police will use the aircraft to assist missing person investigations, major traffic incidents and other large public events.
They will also be utilised at football matches, to capture aerial crime scene imagery and give officers a bird’s eye view of developing situations, such as if a gunman or knifeman is on the loose.
The constabularies spent £160,000 on six drones and the training for 34 operators to pilot them.
A further, single drone will be used solely for training purposes while the pilot scheme – which starts in mid-August – is ongoing.
Made by Yuneec, the drones are a six-engine model with high definition, optical and thermal imaging cameras.
They can be flown up to a maximum height of 400ft, as per Civil Aviation Authority Regulations.
Assistant chief constable David Hardcastle, responsible for operations across Hampshire and Thames Valley, said: “We are launching a proof of concept to look at the effectiveness of using drones as an operational tactic for officers in the two forces.
“We will look at how drones can assist in a variety of overt policing situations with a view to rolling out their use in both forces permanently, should the pilot be a success.”
Labelling it an “exciting opportunity”, Mr Hardcastle pointed out the cameras will enable officers to view large areas in a short period of time.
“So their use should really assist with finding offenders suspected of crime or disorder and missing people in large open expanses or wooded areas, providing live feeds for officers at major incidents or football games and protests and many other applications,” he said.
“Both Thames Valley Police and Hampshire Constabulary are committed to using technology to fight crime and make the public safer, and hopefully the use of drones will be another tool available to do this.”
