Drones, capable of face recognition and vehicle number plate detection, will be operated by trained forces, to reduce the crime rate in crowded areas and for better law enforcement.
DGP C.Sylendra Babu, inaugurated the Drone Police Unit at Elliot’s beach on June 29, for crowd management and law enforcement, in the presence of Police Commissioner Shankar Jiwal.
The unit, set up at a cost of Rs.3.6 crores, is equipped with a total of 9 drones of various types: Quick Response Drone (6 no.), Long Range VTOL Drone (2 no.) and Heavy List Payload Drone (1 no.). The police constables have also been specifically trained to operate the drones.
The camera fitted drones will help the police in scaling and managing the crowd at large, for example, during an agitation or demonstration or during festivals / events. The police aim to monitor the crowd, keep a watch on anti-social elements and take necessary action accordingly.
The drones will also be useful to keep a watch on people venturing into the sea and take action thereon. “The heavy weight drones will be used to transport items from one place to another, for example, incase of a drowning in the sea, the heavy weight drones can be used to transport floats / life buoys,” explained Premanand Sinha, IPS, Additional Commissioner of Police.
The drones will also be used to check on traffic jams – find the source of the jam, resolve it and work on remedial action thereafter. The drones are equipped with built-in artificial intelligence (AI), thermal object detection capabilities for making night patrol more efficient, and the ability to capture number plates for better law enforcement. can be operated up to a distance of 5-10 km from the ground station.
“The Drone Unit will prove to be essential in decreasing the crime rate, and if crime happens, it will help in identifying the act and the criminals immediately. With the drone’s capability in identifying car numbers and face recognition, it will aid investigation and resolution of the crime quicker,” said the DGP.
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