THE police have revealed that they are thinking about increasing the number of drones they fly above Cornwall and Devon.

Inspector Andrew Hamilton told police and crime commissioner Tony Hogg that, following a successful trial, the Devon and Cornwall force is considering increasing its fleet of drones to five in number.

These drones would be deployed at different locations across the two counties. Mr Hogg learned of the possible expansion of the fleet when he met with officers from Devon and Cornwall Police and the National Police Air Service (NPAS). Devon and Cornwall Police have been trialling the use of drones to aid their work since early November. They currently have two drones in operation, which have been used at a number of major incidents across the two counties. The small unmanned aircraft can take aerial photographs, record videos and map areas of interest to assist investigations.

The drones have been used at crime scenes and at the scenes of road traffic collisions to collect photographic evidence.

Video recordings collected from a drone have also been used in court to help a jury visualise where a crime took place and the movements of the suspect. Mr Hogg said: ‘The use of drones will complement the work already carried out by NPAS and the police helicopters. Drones are cost-effective: the main costs involved in attending the scenes are the fuel for the traffic response vehicle to transport them and the cost of charging the batteries.

‘Their use may also mean that fewer officers are needed to attend an incident, meaning officers can be deployed somewhere else where they are needed.’

Drones can cover large areas to look for missing persons and to look over cliff edges or search quarries without endangering officers.