UK police forces to deploy unmanned aircraft

Steve Barry, from the Association of Chief Police Officers, is predicting that the use of unmanned aircraft will become an increasingly common sight in the UK, claiming that their efficiency and effectiveness could eclipse that of dogs in terms of being able to track fleeing burglars through back alleys and gardens with a lot of sheds.

The trial was conducted by the Sussex and Surrey police forces and included a drone being used to patrol the perimeter of Gatwick Airport. High quality pictures are beamed back to officers using a portable console, up to 500m away, allowing the police to quickly assess locations and film incidents from above. They also believe it is more cost effective than the equivalent - filming incidents from a helicopter.

The two forces then received a £250,000 grant from the Police Innovation Fund to buy five SkyRanger drones to use at accident scenes, during protests, sieges, burglary investigations and in missing persons searches.

Barry also stressed that due to the potential privacy issues involved with drone use, the purpose and legitimacy of their deployment must be made clear and, as such, they would not be used for low level crime.

This latest development is in part a response to the increasing intuitiveness of criminals. Indeed, in May 2015 police issued a warning that burglars were actually employing drones themselves – piloting them over private homes to perform surveillance on potential targets and identify weak spots on individual properties.

The remote nature of drones also means that criminals are able to pilot their drones over perimeter walls and into properties that are potentially not visible from public roads – and all this from a relatively safe and risk-free distance for the burglar.