Police to use drones to help catch criminals across Thames Valley

The police will start using drones to help catch criminals later this month.

Thames Valley Police and Hampshire Constabulary will both have three drones at their disposal from mid-August as part of a trial.

They will be used to search for missing people, finding suspects of crime and disorder, capturing aerial crime scene images, and at large public events and policing operations like football matches.

Assistant Chief Constable David Hardcastle, from Thames Valley Police, said: “We will look at how drones can assist in a variety of overt policing situations with a view to rolling out the use of drones in both forces permanently, should the pilot be a success.

“This is an exciting opportunity for both forces, which will mean officers can get an aerial view of large areas in short periods of time.”

The proof of concept trial has also seen 34 drone operators trained across both forces.

The drones, made by Yuneex, are six-engine models with high definition, optical and thermal imaging cameras, and can fly up to 400ft.

An additional drone has also been purchased for training purposes.

Asst Ch Con Hardcastle added: “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.”