MPS to pilot ‘drones as first responder’

The remotely-controlled drones will capture high quality imagery within minutes, providing real-time intelligence to officers arriving at incidents.

The MPS says this will enable “more rapid, informed and effective police responses”.

The pilot has initially been launched in Islington, with the MPS aiming to roll it out to two more sites across London before the end of the year, covering the West End and Hyde Park.

As part of a response to a 999 call, a drone will be launched remotely from the force’s control room and piloted by specially trained operators.

The drones will arrive on the scene within two minutes and from there will stream high-quality footage to assist officers both on the ground and in the control room, the force said.

They will be used for a variety of frontline policing needs, including searching for missing people, tracing a suspect, or arriving quicker to capture evidence at the scene of an incident.

The MPS said drones will provide intelligence quicker – including on a suspects whereabouts and real-time descriptions of a suspect’s appearance. This will help officers catch criminals and stop them from causing further harm to communities.

It added: “The new drones are quicker, quieter, cheaper and more environmentally friendly than existing police helicopters, while delivering the same operational effects. Subject to a successful trial, they will be an important part of the Met’s mission to use technology to help make the capital safe.”

This new pilot, known as Drone as First Responder (DFR), is being introduced in London under the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s (NPCC) drones programme.

Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, the national lead for drones, said: “Our DFR programme will see police resources arriving at crime scenes across London quicker. They will assist in tracing trace suspects, locate locating missing people and delivering intelligence to our officers as they respond to Londoners when they need us most.

“We are building a Met that is more precise and efficient than ever before, and this new technology gives us a vital new tool to tackle crime in the capital.”

Superintendent Taryn Evans, who leads the NPCC Drones Programme and the pilot for the MPS, said: “This is an exciting opportunity to bring the many benefits and efficiencies of the DFR programme to London, supporting both officer and community safety.

“We’ve been running trials of the programme in several different police forces with a range of operating environments from urban to rural and the technology has proven a gamechanger in many incidents.

“This pilot with the Met brings together our two years of learning and development and I look forward to seeing how it can enhance the operational response.”

The MPS said its control room will make the decision to deploy a drone and it will be remotely launched to the incident.

Once overhead a scene, the drone’s imagery will be transmitted in real-time to the specific control room or mobile user, supporting the police response and recording footage for evidence.

The drone’s video feed will help the control room to tailor the emergency response and send the right resources, the MPS said.

While the MPS has previously used drones to assist in policing, this has been as an asset that is often requested in advance. The DFR programme, will mean that drones will able to assist within minutes of a request for assistance.

Other police forces, such as Norfolk Constabulary, Cleveland Police, West Midlands Police, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary and Thames Valley Police Joint Operations Unit are also in the trial phase of this technology, which has been pioneered by the NPCC.