Police drones transform the way Lincolnshire Police operates

Police drones are transforming how the Lincolnshire Police Department operates because they offer a more efficient and cost-effective way to do jobs that previously needed a helicopter.

Lincolnshire Police in the United Kingdom has a team of 15 drone pilots who have helped save lives and catch wanted criminals in the rural area.

Drones have been used by the police since 2017, and head pilot Kev Taylor told the BBC Radio that the unmanned aircraft continue to progress.

“Helicopters have been doing it for years, and we've always had that ability for a helicopter to have a look at a property and say there's something very unusual going on there,” Mr Taylor said. “But they are an expensive resource and if we can do it cheaper and more efficiently then that's what we should do.”

Police drones have been used 400 times

400 times in the previous year, the police force had employed drones to assist in the search for missing individuals lost in the Lincolnshire countryside and the pursuit of suspects eluding capture.

In one instance, a drone pilot assisted in locating a 75-year-old dementia patient who had become disoriented in a field.

The drone pilot followed the lady using thermal imaging as she stumbled across the field, collapsed, got back up, and moved into another area. Officers on the ground were directed by the pilot to locate the lady, who was eventually saved.

In another example, a police drone trailed a 38-year-old guy escaping from police and even followed him as he swam across a river before the pilot directed authorities in to capture him.

Police Drones assisted in the detection of illicit water extraction during this summer's heatwaves, and they have also been utilized to investigate a growing number of arson assaults by taking overhead photos of flames and evaluating damage.

Cover photo shows Lincolnshire Police chief drone pilot Kev Taylor. Photo credit Sarah-May Buccieri.