Big Brother in Britain: Police UAVs

Big Brother in Britain: Police UAVs

Aeryon Skyranger

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The trend is clear- Police forces want UASs for performing their mission. Recently the Sussex police in England began to use a small UAS to help make Gatwick Airport and the area around it safer.

Aeryon Skyranger
Aeryon Skyranger

From this month onward, officers are running a trial using a small, unmanned aerial system (UAS) at and around the airport that will give them an eye in the sky to deal with potential incidents.

According to sUAS the system will be able to beam live high-quality pictures to officers on the ground, allowing them to more quickly assess locations and film incidents from above.

An officer will control the aircraft from the ground, in line of sight, using a portable console from up to 500 meters away.

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iHLS – Israel Homeland Security

The trial of the Aeryon Skyranger system is being funded by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) to test how effective it could be in policing. Land owners close to the airport are being shown how the system works and are being asked for their permission to deploy the equipment from their land.

The officers who will be using the equipment will do so in line with the current Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) regulations. The aircraft is expected to be used for the first time later this month.

If the trial is successful the UAS could be used during operations such as collecting evidence after collisions or major incidents and in the search for wanted or missing people as well as at the airport.