How police drones in Hampshire's skies are tackling criminals and finding missing people

Police in Hampshire deployed the sophisticated purpose-built law enforcement drones to search for missing people, monitor football crowds and hunt for suspects hiding in woods.

Officers on the ground have welcomed a move to boost the capability across Hampshire and Thames Valley police’s joint operations unit following a proof-of-concept pilot run since July last year.

Seven Yuneec Typhoon H520 Hexacopters, used by 34 trained operators, cost the forces around £160,000 including training.

Three missing people have been found by drone operators last year, and they have been used in 80 searches between July 2019 and July this year. Between July and December three suspects were found by drones.

And in one incident in Havant, a drone was able to discreetly provide footage of a man on the roof of a building threatening to jump off – while throwing tiles at police.

Pictures were streamed to the incident commanders and police negotiator, allowing officers to withdraw to a safe distance while still monitoring what was happening with the man, who threatened to hurt any officer who approached.

A burglary suspect hiding high up on scaffolding in Portsmouth after a break-in was found by police using a drone.

This resolved the incident quickly without having to wait for a police helicopter to arrive from outside of Hampshire.

Footage recorded outside the Pompey v Southampton game allowed officers to monitor rival fans’ progress to and from the stadium along Goldsmith Avenue, and was used in the court case of a man jailed for punching a police horse.

The footage was ‘invaluable’ in capturing suspected offences but also tracking crowd dynamics, the football tactical commander said.

Manufacturer Yuneec say the six-rotor model used by police can capture 4K/HD footage and still images up to 20 megapixels.

Drug dealers have also been spotted when a neighbourhood officer requested the unit surveil an alleyway suspected to have been used in the illicit trade.

A neighbourhood officer involved in the drug arrests said: ‘With the drone up in the air, we were able to hover it above the specific alleyway of concern and the quality of the camera was able to pick up individuals on foot on the ground below.

‘Very quickly we identified some suspicious activity and officers were then guided to the area.

‘From this they stopped a car and a quantity of class A drugs, and money was discovered and both occupants were arrested for possession with intent to supply.’

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Between July last year and July this year drones have been deployed 236 times – twice every three days – with 63 of those being hunts for suspects.

Raids on organised crime gangs have been watched over by the eyes in the sky, and they were used to capture images of crime scenes and crashes.

In the six months of operational use last year the devices were stood down due to inclement weather just eight times.

‘Reliable specialist tool’

Sergeant Andy Sparshott, from the joint unit, said: ‘Since their introduction drones have been deployed in support of various large-scale policing operations, providing tactical commanders with situational awareness and enhancing public and officer safety.

‘Our drones have already proven themselves to be a reliable specialist tool in all weather conditions, and providing essential visual information to officers when dealing with incidents, and investigating crimes in order to protect the public from harm.

‘They are a cost-effective additional means of air support that is readily available.

‘They enable officers to resolve incidents quickly and sometimes require less resources to attend an incident, for example when searching large areas.’

The kit does have limitations, including the distance they can be flown from, but have become a 'default asset' when air support is requested, Sgt Sparshott said.

He added they have been deployed where weather conditions stopped a helicopter being used.

He added: ‘Following a successful proof of concept project, drones have now become a permanent capability within our Joint Operations Unit.

‘We continue to look at making best use of this technology and increase this capability across Hampshire Constabulary and Thames Valley Police.’

Drones detect suspect hiding in woods

FLEEING into the woods did not stop drones from detecting a wanted suspect.

The wanted person fled a car with three others into woods that had a thick tree canopy blocking off the helicopter’s cameras.

But the drone was able to track heat signatures allowing response and patrol officers to locate and detain the person.

An officer involved in the hunt said: ‘A drone was deployed along with a helicopter following a vehicle pursuit where a priority one offender had decamped into woods with three others.

‘The helicopter’s cameras could not penetrate the tree canopy so it contained the woods whilst the drone was able to track intermittent heat sources and directed the dog unit that resulted in the location and arrest of the suspect.’

A missing persons search officer who requested a drone said: ‘The use of a drone in these circumstances allows officers to concentrate on areas a drones camera cannot look into whilst the drone saves time and officer numbers to search the wider open areas quickly and efficiently.

‘Our drones have supported our teams in the search for numerous high risk missing people and covering large open areas in weather conditions where a helicopter has not been available.’

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