Latest drones as first responder trial provides vital support at music festival
August saw the latest trial in drone as first responder (DFR) technology, with a team from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary and Thames Valley Police Joint Operations Unit demonstrating its capabilities in challenging weather conditions at the Victorious Music Festival in Portsmouth.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) said it was “one step closer to realising the shared vision of using DFR in support of policing operations”.
Operating under visual line of sight (VLOS) and coordinating with a second safety pilot, the team ensured high safety standards to mitigate air and ground risk while navigating through Class G airspace alongside other air assets, including the coastguard helicopter and aeroplane and the event security drone team.
NPCC beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) lead for Hampshire and IOW Constabulary and Thames Valley Police, Chris Stagg, said: “Following on from our initial testing at the Isle of Wight Festival in June, our efforts in Portsmouth at the Victorious Music Festival have brought us one step closer to realising our shared vision of using DFR in support of policing operations.
“The festival provided a dynamic setting to assess a temporary DFR site setups for large-scale events as well as operations within an urban environment.
“The exposed seafront location also gave us the benefit of understanding how strong winds affected the drone when landing autonomously.
“Whilst the drone remained safe and dry in the box during some extremely strong winds and heavy rain, it did highlight the potential need for a bespoke purpose made drone that has both the capability and redundancy to stand up to harsh environments. Policing needs to be able to operate safely in adverse weather conditions across the country.”
He added: “As we move forward, our focus remains on safety and adaptability in adverse weather especially as we move towards the winter months, ensuring that our emergency response capabilities are not just effective but also safe and reliable when it matters most.”
The NPCC says DFR promises to transform the response to 999 calls. By getting to the scene of any incident in an urban or rural fringe environment within minutes and providing a bird’s eye view directly into a force’s incident room, the emergency response can be much better tailored.
Not only will this support in delivering a faster and more efficient emergency response but the real-time view it provides will enhance both public and officer safety, it said.
The Victorious Festival trial was one of four DFR trials taking place this year as part of the NPCC’s Drone Programme. This programme investigates how to get the most out of BVLOS and autonomous drone flight for policing purposes, leveraging resources to best effect and helping to protect the public across England and Wales.