• Police in Australia are using remotely piloted drones to fight crime.
  • So far, they’ve already responded to two reports of stolen vehicles.
  • Effort kicked off in Moree, NSW, but will expand in the future.

Bad boys, bad boys whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do when the drones come for you? That’s a question criminals in Australia will need to ask themselves as NSW Police have launched a new program called PolAir-Remote. It will see remotely piloted drones used to assist officers on the ground.

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Designed to prevent, disrupt and respond to criminal activity, drones will be rolled out to multiple locations starting with Moree, a small town of around 7,100 people. The drones will be remotely piloted from an operations base at the Bankstown airport thanks, in part, to a live video feed.

A Remote Eye In The Sky

The first two drones were installed on the roof of the Moree police station last month and they’ve already responded to a number of incidents, including assaults as well as cases of breaking and entering.

In one incident, a group of people allegedly broke into an elderly couple’s home and stole two vehicles. A few days later, police arrested a 14-year-old with the assistance of PolAir-Remote. The two cars were also recovered.

NSW Police

PolAir-Remote also responded to another incident where car keys were stolen from a motel room. Thieves then took off in the victim’s SUV and it was discovered near a river the following day.

Authorities said little about the drones themselves, but NSW Police did mention an incident where a drone was supporting police and “observed a number of fires” throughout Moree. Firefighters were quickly alerted and were able to extinguish the blazes.

A Trial Under Review

The Moree deployment is part of a six month trial, but police are already eyeing its expansion. As NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Paul Pisanos said, “The trial has so far proven to be successful in tackling regional crime and giving the region a boost in operational resources.”