Despite UK drone regulations that have been knocked by critics for confounding increased use by consumers, businesses, and public administrations alike, the Lincolnshire Police force has not only found a way to fully integrate UAVs into its work, but has made the rising number of its aerial exploits a main vector of its external communications strategy.
The Lincolnshire Police Drone division sailed into the year with a staff of 15 pilots, and has managed to be at least as active in the first nine months as it was in 2022 – when its craft were scrambled for nearly 400 official missions. In July alone, the unit reported its UAVs were deployed 131 times during 52 total hours of operation.
Last Friday, meanwhile, Lincolnshire Police said its drones had flown 4:47 hours on Wednesday, then an additional 3:52 hours Thursday in response to its own calls for assistance, as well as in support of three other forces in its central-east region of England. Both that frequency, and the squad’s tireless communication of its aerial work, has secured it a notable – if not leading – spot among the world’s UAV-flying cops.
While some police forces around the world continue to struggle to create or develop drone response units to desired strength – New York being an obvious example of such throttled ambitions – Lincolnshire’s cops have continued to diversify and amplify their deployments since the aerial section’s 2017 launch.
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Indeed, the unit’s feed on Twitter (now X) is arguably the most active and enthusiastic official UAV account on the planet, acting as a showcase of everything its pilots are up to in the air.
That not only includes responses to accidents, health emergencies, conflicts, crimes, and public disruptions that are part and parcel of all police drone forces. It has also involved aerial assistance in nabbing notable miscreants – including a UAV pilot recently convicted for defiantly flying in banned airspaces that included the East Midlands Airport.
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This month, the force strutted some of its stylistic stuff with videos of the highly skilled work of its pilots at the sticks of first-person view craft.
A similar demonstration was offered up in conjunction with the local fire brigade.
Lincolnshire’s Police Drone staff also recently posted examples of how deploying craft in potentially dangerous, evolving situations in risky settings allows them to remotely “enter unsafe spaces, climb stairs, go above or below ground, & offer vital Situation Awareness” before sending officers in.
The force has also used drones as a means of connecting with local Lincolnshire residents, and informing them about the tech and police work with them.
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One example of that came earlier this year, when the force allowed local youth organizations to offer names for four of the unit’s craft – the vast majority of which, if not all, are DJI models. Winners selected included “Sherlock Drone” and “Cristiano Dronaldo.”
Okay, nobody’s perfect – even the crafty, innovative, and talented cops behind the Lincolnshire drone sticks.
Image: Karl Greif/Unsplash
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