New HD drones to help hunt West Midlands criminals
Police have taken to the skies to test out new high-definition drone cameras, which will be used to fight crime in the West Midlands.
Officers from West Midlands Police are now using the latest ‘eye-in-the-sky’ technology to target criminals in the region and to cover more grounds on patrols.
The unmanned aerial vehicles – UAVs – were in action yesterday in the skies above Millennium Point, off Curzon Street, in Birmingham, for a demonstration.
WATCH the drones in action:
The force has purchased three of the drones and paid for seven officers to be trained to operate them from the ground – using £28,000 of cash raised through assets seized from convicted criminals.
The force noted that funds from the Proceeds of Crime Act cannot be used to facilitate more police officers or staff.
The cameras, which cost around £4,000 each, have already been used for the Aston Expressway bomb and for policing local derbies, such as Aston Villa vs Blues.
There is also a new Twitter account called @dronesWMP.
Police have said the drones will help to scan large areas in a short space of time.
"Their main use will be to film crime scenes and provide live feeds from direct major incidents, football games and protests.
They will also use the miniature aircrafts to hunt criminals hiding in large, hard-to-reach areas like parkland, canals and tow paths.
The drones will be used in ‘crime hotspots’ and areas where serious incidents have taken place previously – allowing officers to capture vital evidence during pre-planned arrests and operations.
The force has reassured residents that they are not being used to spy on the general public and will be only be used ‘as an extra resource to target criminals operating in public places’.
Officers also said the drone cameras are quieter than police helicopters and that the noise is similar to a ‘large fan’.
