'First responder' drones used to catch criminals
BBCRemotely controlled drones are being used as first responders to police emergencies and incidents by tracking suspects and gathering evidence.
Cleveland Police said it was the first force in the north of England to use them operationally "to catch criminals and keep communities safe".
The drones are launched from the top of buildings and piloted remotely from control rooms.
Civil liberties campaigners have criticised their use, but drone pilot PC Matt Simpson said they had been "game-changing" in tackling crime by quickly providing live pictures into the control room.
"We had a report of domestic violence and within a minute or so I had one of the drones over the house," he said.
Simpson said the suspect left the property before police officers arrived, but the drone was able to track his location so the man could quickly be arrested.
The "first responder drones" are kept inside waterproof boxes on top of buildings across the force area.
Since the beginning of the year, they had been deployed to 73 live incidents, responding to emergencies, tracking suspects, and searching for missing people, the force said.
At the end of the task, the drones return to their boxes where they recharge to prepare for the next deployment.
They have been trialled extensively by other police forces across the country and have been cleared for wider operational use.
Civil liberty campaigners have criticised the growing use of cameras that are now in use collecting footage in towns and cities, but police bosses said it was about supporting officers – not gathering surveillance.
Cleveland Police's Ch Supt Martin Hopps said he understood the concerns some people had but stressed "the drones are only deployed when there's an operational need to do so".
He said the footage was only kept if it was used in evidence to support a prosecution, if not it was deleted after 28 days.
