Police drones save lives and snare criminals during demanding 2024

From life-saving emergency interventions to crucial evidence gathering, it’s been the most demanding year yet for Nottinghamshire Police’s drones unit.

The team, made up of 13 volunteer pilots and six high-tech drones, is on duty 24/7 and is available for pre-planned and emergency deployments all over the county.

During 2024 the team was called on more than 2,100 times and logged nearly 500 flight hours, during which they

• found 19 vulnerable people at immediate risk of harm
• located criminal suspects at 55 incidents
• and located six missing vehicles.

Drones also took to the sky to gather crucial evidence in multiple criminal cases, and were also used to map the scenes of several serious road traffic collisions.

Of all the deployments logged, the team delivered positive results in 68% of flights.

These included:

• A vulnerable woman who was found on a train track near Newark in September. The flight took place after midnight and the pilot used a thermal imaging camera to locate and guide officers to her
• A suspect who had fled with a serious wound to his leg in the Newark area in August. The man was followed in the darkness for some time before officers were guided to his location
• Three suspects who were found near the M1 in August after reports of lorries being broken into
• A vulnerable man who had tried to harm himself in May. Thanks to the drone operator he was found in a dark field and given the urgent life-saving help he needed by an air ambulance.

The drones unit, which also provides aerial support at football matches and other major public events, is now able to deploy more quickly and reliably thanks to the addition of a specialist vehicle which allows the force’s main drone to be stored ready-assembled.

Chief Drone Pilot Sergeant Vince Saunders said:

“Drones are now an indispensable part of policing operations around the world and are an excellent addition to traditional aerial policing options delivered by helicopter and fixed wing aircraft.

“They provide a readily available and cost-effective option for officers who need an additional eye in the sky to help them protect and serve the public.

“Whether that’s locating missing or otherwise vulnerable people, tracking offenders or simply providing an aerial view of an evolving situation, their usefulness is increasing all the time which is why we had more calls for service in 2024 than ever before.”

Aerial policing in the UK dates back more than 100 years, with the first example coming at the 1921 Epsom Derby, when am airship was used to monitor the crowds.