Police get access to drones 24/7 to aid the battle with crime
DERBYSHIRE Constabulary has expanded its drone unit to help officers fight crime and protect the public from the skies.
The drones help take operations to the next level by assisting in tracking down missing people in remote areas with thermal imaging and flying high above football matches to help with crowd control – these are just a few of the things they can assist with.
When the Drone Unit was established last year there were just five trained officers, now there are 28.
The drones have a powerful zoom lens that produce highquality images and the information is sent real-time to control rooms to help officers make key decisions which is assisting police with 24/7 coverage. Derbyshire police have 16 drones in total, based in Buxton, Chesterfield, Derby, the roads policing unit (RPU) and collision investigation.
Pilot training has taken place in the past eight weeks and officers have now obtained permission for commercial operations from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
The drones are permitted to fly a maximum of 800ft in the air so not to affect aircraft, under the CAA rules, and adhere to flying 50 metres from buildings, people and vehicles. In the exception of extreme circumstances or a major incident the force is able to push these limits to carry out its jobs.
Officers want to reassure the public that when a drone is used officers will be present in uniform, there will be marked police cars and a sign will be erected in the area to warn the public of drones operating in the area.
The increase in council tax precept was agreed by Hardyal Dhindsa, Derbyshire’s police and crime commissioner, following extensive consultation last year which showed overwhelming support across the county for increased investment in front line policing.
Mr Dhindsa said: “This drone technology will make sure that we use those staff more effectively and efficiently and also provide quality evidence.”
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The Drone Unit work with Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service and The Peak District Mountain Rescue Organisation (PDMRO).
Brendan O’neil, drone pilot for (PDMRO), said the drones help keep staff safe. He said: “They allow us to cover large areas of land quickly and they also allow us to check areas out which could be dangerous to put lead our own staff in. Sometimes you still have to deploy the guys in there but it lets us get into places like quarries and rivers without putting our own our staff in danger.” The mountain rescue team, which join forces with police to help track down missing people, were donated a drone by police. Mr O’neill added: “As a voluntary organisation, this new drone would have been a significant expense.
“Having a full setup supplied to us by the Constabulary will increase the capability of the Peak District Mountain Rescue Organisation and allow us to train up some new pilots.
“This in turn will enable us to continue our joint working with the police on highrisk missing person searches throughout Derbyshire, and help provide situational awareness on other callouts.” he added.
This will make sure we use staff more effectively and provide quality evidence Hardyal Dhindsa