West Mercia police to use drones

[Cambo]

West Mercia police are looking to use drones to help with policing…is this a good idea or are we now moving even more into the world of a big brother society?

[Slim]

Any thing that helps to deter, reduce or solve crimes has to be a good thing.

[Roger]

A drone must be cheaper to use per hour than a helicopter and you can go much lower so I'd be all for it if it was a workable idea. You can get really good footage from a drone. Monitoring football crowds immediately springs to mind as a good use. 

 

Drone News Report with video

[Clarkester]

How will this actually help?

Time was, you would have a giant of a copper, very noticeable because he was taaalll....  And had a policeman's uniform on with a great big helmet atop his noggin... Patrolling, yes, patrolling - walking around in amongst the general public.

That was the deterrent right there.  Coppers on the beat, patrolling town, their patch, being noticed, known and dare I say, respected.

Nowadays, thanks to successive governments deciding that the world is best run as a business and everything is profit & loss driven, we cannot afford to have policemen doing patrols, just walking about?!  No thank you, that isn't good for profitability.

And, as such, crimes happen, crimes don't get solved, crime figures go up, then, thanks to some clever massaging of figures, crime statistics start going down - even though people on the street feel less safe, people on the street are more aware of crime, but the figures can't be lying, can they?

The police are less and less visible to the point of it being a complete rarity when you actually do see one walking about anywhere.

Now, this?!  Drones?!  Drones?!?  How can this be a good idea?  Are they going to be carrying nets, so that if they spot a crime, they can apprehend the perpetrator?

In summation, I am not entirely sure that it is a good idea - in my opinion.

[Roger]

I had a fella knock on my door the other week brandishing an A4 sized HD quality aerial photograph (in frame) of my house and garden. He asked if I wanted to buy it for £40. It was a really good photo so I offered him a fiver. He laughed and asked if I knew how much a helicopter costs to fly per hour. He then left to knock on some more doors when I refused to up my offer. 

 

The photo had obviously been taken with a drone so they are getting a lot more common! 

[Colin James]

Any thing that helps to deter, reduce or solve crimes has to be a good thing.

 

I agree.

[Cambo]

I'm split on this myself I can see the benefits for the police using them particularly as they are facing cuts but how & when they will be used is something that does concern me!

 

Do you need a licence to operate one?…as I see from the link roger posted that the guy was prosecuted for flying over Anfield on a match day!

[Glenda Powell]

As Slim said, if they are a deterrent to crime being committed then Im all for them being used.

[Cambo]

Interesting article by the bbc on drones in it mersyside police got warned by the CAA about using one without A appropriate license.

 

Are drones dangerous or harmless fun?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-34269585

[Roger]

Interesting article by the bbc on drones 

 

Sales figures suggest the demand for drones is rising. Maplin alone sold more than 17,000 drones in the UK in the past 12 months - more than double the amount they sold in the previous 12 months.

 

 

That's a lot of drones .... 

[DILLIGAF]

As a keen novice SPORT pilot, can I please point ALL of you to these regulations. Many folk in and around Hereford are in breech of these regulations. The police could also be in breech. I myself have been spied upon whist flying safely, by an Automated unmanned Phantom (these are the most popular as they can fly by GPS coordinates if set correctly; however they are also the most lost UAVs as people think they fly out of the box! THEY DONT(they are the APPLE of the multicopter world!)) This is breaking the law and governance set out by the CAA.

 

Without waffling on too much and boring you all, please be aware of these regulations. If in doubt please PM me if you have any concerns, please do not post on social media. I will then pass the information to the appropriate sources.

I dont want my sport banned. YES YOU NEED INSURANCE.

A fully qualified pilot would expect to shell out circa £3000 to enable financial gain and work permits.

 

Yes I have also lost a multicopter £200! I lost radio signal during flight, but this was pre-catered for by setting failsafe. - it is now probably in the back of a combine harvester or stuck in a tree! I saw it decend slowly & safely but still couldnt find it. My others now have trackers fitted   

[ragwert]

As a keen novice SPORT pilot, can I please point ALL of you to these regulations. Many folk in and around Hereford are in breech of these regulations. The police could also be in breech. I myself have been spied upon whist flying safely, by an Automated unmanned Phantom (these are the most popular as they can fly by GPS coordinates if set correctly; however they are also the most lost UAVs as people think they fly out of the box! THEY DONT(they are the APPLE of the multicopter world!)) This is breaking the law and governance set out by the CAA.

 

Without waffling on too much and boring you all, please be aware of these regulations. If in doubt please PM me if you have any concerns, please do not post on social media. I will then pass the information to the appropriate sources.

I dont want my sport banned. YES YOU NEED INSURANCE.

A fully qualified pilot would expect to shell out circa £3000 to enable financial gain and work permits.

 

Yes I have also lost a multicopter £200! I lost radio signal during flight, but this was pre-catered for by setting failsafe. - it is now probably in the back of a combine harvester or stuck in a tree! I saw it decend slowly & safely but still couldnt find it. My others now have trackers fitted   

There is no requirement yet for drones under 20kg and used for domestic purposes to be insured

[DILLIGAF]

There is no requirement yet for drones under 20kg and used for domestic purposes to be insured

Not yet, mine only weighs in at just over 1KG of glass-fibre and solid metal spinning the props at a modest 11000RPM! Why would I not want insurance at £20PA - Just incase?? Oh and they are powered by LIPO batteries which require special care.

A Phantom is slightly lighter in weight but heavier on pocket.

 

A quick calculation reveals that it could drop like a stone at a rate of +5m per second, average reaction time 3 seconds.

 

Should any property or persons be damaged without BMFA/FPVUK insurance and flouting the regs; then the CAA can/will prosecute.

These are not forgiving and highly unpredictable.

https://youtu.be/P9rnTk6FBzs

[Cambo]

"Report: ISIS obsessed with launching 9/11-style attack using weaponized drones"

http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/ISIS-Threat/Report-ISIS-obsessed-with-launching-911-style-attack-using-weaponized-drones-441218

[Colin James]

"Report: ISIS obsessed with launching 9/11-style attack using weaponized drones"

http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/ISIS-Threat/Report-ISIS-obsessed-with-launching-911-style-attack-using-weaponized-drones-441218

 

Going off topic here, this topic is not about ISIS, it is about West Mercia Police using drones. Please keep to the original topic in hand or feel free to create a new separate one.

[Cambo]

Going off topic here, this topic is not about ISIS, it is about West Mercia Police using drones. Please keep to the original topic in hand or feel free to create a new separate one.

Apologises Colin

[Mick]

Good idea if it helps catch criminals. 

[Bill Thomas]

Nothing better than eyes in the skies 

[DILLIGAF]

I agree I've nothing to hide.

Yes very well and good, but can WMP afford to train pilots to official CAA standards for reconnaissance purposes? I think going rate is around 3 grand.

No they don't fly by themselves as many think!

Heard of the Phantom flyaways? £500-1k gone In the blink of an eye, serves you right!

[Cambo]

Interesting story met police thinking of using eagles to intercept rogue drones

 

Police 'ponder eagles to tackle drones'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-35519470

[Aylestone Voice]

If they do decide to use drones will there be 10-15 of them hovering about any incident and appearing not to do too much?

[DILLIGAF]

Interesting story met police thinking of using eagles to intercept rogue drones

 

Police 'ponder eagles to tackle drones'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-35519470

It'll never take off!! Pardon the pun! Those poor eagle will loose a talon or two!

HOT KNIFE BUTTER????

My largest is 1.5kg has four 10" carbon fibre blades spinning at 55,000rpm avg. - you could lose a limb. My smallest is 200g smaller than my hand and often leaves me with rather nasty papercuts!!

On a serious note, say the eagle misses and only takes out a prop or two. That drone is going to drop like a stone, should it injure someone, who is to blame the pilot who WAS in control or the falconer for causing an incident? I say incident as accidents can be avoided.

[Cambo]

It'll never take off!! Pardon the pun! Those poor eagle will loose a talon or two!

HOT KNIFE BUTTER????

My largest is 1.5kg has four 10" carbon fibre blades spinning at 55,000rpm avg. - you could lose a limb. My smallest is 200g smaller than my hand and often leaves me with rather nasty papercuts!!

On a serious note, say the eagle misses and only takes out a prop or two. That drone is going to drop like a stone, should it injure someone, who is to blame the pilot who WAS in control or the falconer for causing an incident? I say incident as accidents can be avoided.

Then maybe the police will need to develop a drone to be able to take other drones out of action with some sort of grabber?

 

I remember the programme robot wars maybe they could have one called drone wars?

[Roger]

 

Police drones fly through first week of trial

During the first week of a six month trial by Warwickshire Police and West Mercia Police, new drone technology has been used to support officers at five incidents.

Inspector Damian Sowrey who is overseeing the trial said

"During the trial drones will be used in two ways - they may be deployed to an incident as a resource to assist or they may be used in a preplanned operation for example to help manage public safety at an event.

"During the first week of the trial despite challenging wet and windy weather conditions, the drone has helped us gather evidence by taking aerial photographs of road traffic collisions and also assisted officers search an area by providing an aerial view that can be viewed from the ground."

 

 

 

WMP

[DILLIGAF]

That good roger. They can also be used by Other blues for deploying lifesaving equipment to areas that may take hours to reach on foot reassuring casualties that help is at hand. IIRC one of the mountain rescue teams use it to send radios rations and ropes etc to the fallen. GPS is wonderful.

[Roger]

The article keeps referring to 'the drone' .... as in the singular .... I thought it was a windy week to start testing drones recently .... I think it's obviously the current 'pet' project .... I doubt that if you ring up 101 saying yer shed has been raided overnight you will suddenly see a drone appear overhead! That's if you can get through !! 

[bobby47]

And it's all so typical of public service nowadays. Bored and disinterested with the stuff that we pay for, want and expect, namely the sight of a uniformed Police Officer patrolling our streets on foot, they've now decided to stray, yet again, this time up into the skies to involve themselves in the very interesting areas of business that excite them, require a training programme and a huge number of people tied up and bound to a bucket of boll.ocks that'll be of little use to any of us who fuel and feed this bureaucratic beast of burden.

As we speak, they'll be inviting people to attend their flight training course where these silk scarfed, wind in the hair, chocks away and flaps down pioneers of the Hereford skyline will be trained to fly amongst us watching our every move desperately looking for some sinner who'll commit some minor misdemeanour that'll justify the spending of near on a few hundred thousand pounds.

Don't think for a single moment that you'll be gifted some dexterous eagle eyed wizard of flight sat there perched on the roof of the Nick. No! Behind this pilot there'll be a legion of staff ready to catalogue the footage of each and every glorious flight, they'll need a huge chain if command, a risk assessor, and God knows how many that'll involve themselves in this jolly flight experience where they watch us doing the most boring things imaginable.

It's not as if I can manage with what's going on upon the ground. What with the intolerable noise of sirens, the flashing blue lights and the incessant worry that I'm about to be Tasered, now I have to start looking upwards to see what they're planning to do next.

Well, I can tell you now, I ain't putting up with these flights. I'll be damned if I do. If they incorporate the Commercial Pub into their pre planned flight plan I'll have no problem whatsoever in deploying my catapult to end my misery.

In fact, thinking about it, from hereon I've decided that there will be a no flight exclusion zone above my property and if their wizard of a pilot decides to deploy his bloody drone above my rooftop he'll be picking its bits and bobs off the road and gluing it back together following its encounter with me.

We don't need another pointless gimmick. It won't save lives, it won't stop crime and all it will achieve is to put further distance between ourselves and our Coppers.

[Cambo]

This week it has been reported that Isis used a commercial drone carrying a explosive charge in which 2 peshmerga fighters were killed while also injuring 2 French special forces soldiers…could there be a possibility that terrorists would use a drone in a attack here in the UK or elsewhere?

 

Which brings me to the question how would our police force deal with a possible threat of a terrorist attack using drones?

 

Iraq attack shows deadly potential of 'off-the-shelf' drones

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-37638982

[H.Wilson]

This week it has been reported that Isis used a commercial drone carrying a explosive charge in which 2 peshmerga fighters were killed while also injuring 2 French special forces soldiers…could there be a possibility that terrorists would use a drone in a attack here in the UK or elsewhere?

 

Which brings me to the question how would our police force deal with a possible threat of a terrorist attack using drones?

 

Iraq attack shows deadly potential of 'off-the-shelf' drones

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-37638982

I think we are moving to the bigger picture when it comes to discussing terrorists but in general I think drones for West Mercia Police are certainly worth exploring, they could sweep the great western way a few times a day from a central location, which would be a massive deterrent.

[Cambo]

I think we are moving to the bigger picture when it comes to discussing terrorists but in general I think drones for West Mercia Police are certainly worth exploring, they could sweep the great western way a few times a day from a central location, which would be a massive deterrent.

I guess the point I'm trying to make is how are the police going to deal with rogue drones? Within the article itself it's says that earlier in the year a drone rifle was spotted with American soldiers in Iraq…the rifle does not fire bullets but a signal to disrupt the drone itself is this something our police force could use?

 

But taking your idea further about using a drone to monitor the GW perhaps if they had some CCTV installed along the way…would it also not be possible to have a drone stationed on top of one of them so that it could be launch in the event of a crime happening to track the perpetrator movements after?