Drones prove a valuable crimefighting tool for Durham Police

Whether officers are in pursuit of a suspect, searching for a missing person or tackling anti-social behaviour, the aerial viewpoint provided by the deployment of drones is proving more than useful assistance to the work of the police.

Having used drones for several years to help Durham Police stay one-step ahead of criminals and to keep the public safe, the force has now expanded its fleet further.

The additional resources mean the force can now operate drones 24/7, at any time of the day and night.

(Image: Durham Constabulary) Assisted by 40 qualified pilots now able to operate the flying devices, several hubs have been created across County Durham and Darlington, meaning that a drone is only minutes away from an incident if needed.

Durham Police and Crime Commissioner (DPCC) Joy Allen has recently provided funding for 16 new operators and four further drones.

This means that officers and PCSOs in the force’s neighbourhood teams have now joined its response personnel and roads and armed policing teams in being 'drone qualified'.

State-of-the-art purpose-built drones are said to be ideal for emergency service work with thermal imaging and zoom capabilities, meaning information and evidence can be captured instantly.

It can give officers on the ground an instant view of what is going from a vantage point not normally available to them.

They are frequently being flown to help respond to incidents of anti-social behaviour, in searches for missing people and have been able to identify locations of cannabis grows.

Since February, the drones have been deployed hundreds of times, whether for pre-planned support, such as the recent Royal visit to Durham Cathedral or for immediate response incidents.

In that time drones have helped to locate 21 missing persons and 54 people suspected of an offence.

(Image: Durham Constabulary) It is hoped further funding will be secured to allow for more training and equipment in the coming months.

PC Aaron O’Roarty, Drone Operations Manager at Durham Constabulary, said: “Police drones are becoming a fundamental part of policing and a vital tool for officers every day.

“Their role in deploying to spontaneous or pre-planned operations has not only helped in the prevention and detection of crime but has been instrumental to the reduction of anti-social behaviour around off-road motorcycles and youth nuisance on our streets.

“Most importantly police drones save lives.

“We have deployed drones on a regular basis in the search for vulnerable or missing persons, finding people often in crisis and reducing search times for officers on the ground.

“Police drones provide a truly unique viewpoint for officers and have proven criminals can run but they can't hide from a drone.”

The DPCC said she was happy to respond to the need by providing resourcing for such valuable policing equipment.

“Drones have quickly become an indispensable tool in policing, improving the response to a wide range of public priorities," said Ms Allen.

“This is especially the case for tackling off-road bikes, pursuing offenders, and confiscating bikes being used in an anti-social way. 

“In addition, they have boosted the work to tackle rural crime, with drones able to quickly monitor huge areas of our landscape that are often inaccessible to officers.  

“I vowed in my Police and Crime Plan to ensure the force has the resources it needs to respond to high-risk threats, and I will continue to seek out opportunities to innovate and increase our capabilities to provide a first-class response to the public.

“It is vital that policing continues to adapt and embrace new technology in the face of emerging threats to public safety, and I am confident we will see many more results from the drones in the future.”

One example of the valued use of drones came with the arrest of a man who went on to be jailed after crashing a stolen car on the A19, in doing so narrowly avoiding oncoming vehicles on the opposing carriageway.

As reported in The Northern Echo, in March this year, Liam Ainslie, of Wingate, was spotted driving the stolen Citroen near Castle Eden at about 8pm on July 3 last year.

The vehicle was displaying false number plates and failed to stop when traffic officers illuminated their blue lights.

In his attempt to escape, Ainslie reached speeds of more than 130mph before losing control when he made a sudden right turn, crossing onto the opposing carriageway and mounting the grass verge at high speed.

The careering car came within inches of two oncoming vehicles.

(Image: Durham Constabulary) Ainslie fled from the abandoned car into a nearby field but made it only half a kilometre before noticing the police drone flying overhead.

It had swiftly been deployed by pursuing officer PC Hawman, who was watching Ainslie's every move from above.

(Image: Durham Constabulary) Realising any further attempt to evade capture was pointless, Ainslie surrendered and gave himself up to officers.

(Image: Durham Constabulary) Following extensive work by PC Johnson of Peterlee A Relief, he was charged with multiple driving offences.

(Image: The Northern Echo) Appearing at Durham Crown Court in March this year, the 35-year-old defendant admitted charges of aggravated vehicle taking, dangerous driving, driving without a licence, and driving without insurance.

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He received a 12-month prison sentence and was banned from driving for 16 months.

Ainslie was also ordered to pay the car owner £500 compensation to be deducted from his benefits upon his release from prison.

A second man in his 20s was also arrested in connection with the same incident, but faced no further action.