Drone technology improving officer and community safety

Superintendent Taryn Evans gives her personal reflections on progress in the NPCC drones programme: 

It’s been just over a year since I took on the national BVLOS programme for policing. There’s always more work to do on a programme of this scale, working with technology that develops at this pace, but I think it’s worth taking a moment to celebrate the achievements of our team and of drone units up and down the country over these past few months.

• We’ve successfully launched a bespoke ‘third way’ in the regulatory sphere, flying as state aircraft for state needs but within a framework offering the regulator clear, timely and open assurance of our operations. This enables our pilots to fly further, higher and closer to people in support of our core objectives.

• We have designed, built and rolled out a brand new software platform, accessible at all levels in all forces, which captures flight, performance and safety data on drone use.

• Across four pioneering trial sites we have explored every combination and innovation in Drone in a Box technology. We’ve used this to develop and operating model that outlines the optimum set up and use of Drone as First Responder.

• We have established and grown a network of like minded professionals across government departments and emergency response, first in the UK and now internationally. We share our progress, ideas and set backs so that we don’t go over old ground, meaning we all move forwards as safely and as quickly as possible.

• We have written and rolled out courses for the new training framework and for the roles within our assurance structure, all of which underpins our Authorised Professional Practice. 
• All the while our dedicated pilots up and down the country have deployed 26,584 times over 8,953 minutes (1 Oct 2024 – 31 Mar 2025) responding to calls to support in a wide range of policing incidents with some great results including:
  • 721 suspects located
  • 649 missing people located
  • 163 vehicles located

There’s a lot of work ahead of us next year, but it’s all been made that bit easier by these developments. None of it would be possible without our extended network of professional pilots who give their time and expertise freely, often in between long and tiring shifts, all because they want to see this technology embedded in policing with the purpose of protecting their communities and their colleagues.

My thanks to each and every one of you.