New drone team for Hertfordshire Constabulary
The UK’s Hertfordshire Constabulary has announced the launch of a new drone team as part of its Operational Support Group (OSG)
The police force stated that the OSG is a specialist police unit that tackles “volume priority and organized criminality, such as robbery, burglary, drugs, and assaults.”
The unit’s 10 new drone pilots will work in collaboration with the five pilots already working as part of Hertfordshire Constabulary’s Rural Operational Support Team (ROST).
The two teams will initially share four drones between them. The police force said the remotely piloted aircraft can be used in a number of ways, “including to support high-risk missing person searches, warrant executions, scene investigations, search and rescue operations, as well as being utilised during major incidents.”
“Drone technology has improved so much in recent years, it's only right that we have increased capacity in using this crucial equipment across Hertfordshire police,” said Inspector Paul Stanbridge, Head of OSG. “Whether we’re looking for a missing person or pursuing an offender, drones are a vital tool in modern policing.”
He added: “Between the OSG and the ROST, we will be able to utilise the drones to support activity across the county. The deployment of drones also supports the constabulary’s commitment to tackling serious and organised crime by assisting with the identification of cannabis factories in Hertfordshire.
Redmond Police Department (RPD), in the US state of Washington, recently announced the expansion of its drone program.
Oliver Cuenca
Oliver Cuenca is a Junior Editor at the Voyageur Group. He was previously a News and Features Journalist for the rail magazine IRJ until 2021, and studied MA Magazine Journalism at Cardiff University. His favourite helicopter is the AW169 – the workhorse of the UK air ambulance sector! He also led the creation of Waypoint: The AirMed&Rescue podcast, serving as its Production Editor and co-host.