Nottinghamshire Police have focused on incorporating ‘invaluable, life saving drones’ into their department.
They recently spent three days focusing on training their drone pilots at Skydive Langer, to hone ‘potentially life-saving skills.’
The drones have been used to find multiple missing people since it was launched two years ago, in January 2020.
Chief Pilot, PC Vince Saunders, said: “We are lucky to have a really good group of core pilots and I am delighted we have been given the time and space we need to ensure they are operating this very expensive equipment properly.
“In the right hands these machines can literally save people’s lives, but we must remember at all times that we are dealing with aircraft and take the necessary precautions to operate them effectively.
“That is what the public expects of us and I am proud to say that is what we are delivering.”
The drone team carried out three days of training, with all 15 pilots completing their annual skill checks.
The training has been carried out by Nottinghamshire Police on a more regular basis than is required by law – as they aim to match up to the expectations set on them by the public, according to PC Vince Saunders.
“With these rights comes a great responsibility to ensure we are as well prepared as we can be to do our jobs safely and effectively,” said PC Vince Saunders.
The Drones unit is shared with Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service and operates six drones 24 hours per day.
The people at Skydive Langer were proud to host the training exercises, claiming that they are proud to support the local community.
Josh Carratt, Operations Manager at Skydive Langar, said: “The decision to host the police drone team at our airfield was a really easy one.
“The work they do is so important to the local community and we are proud to have been able to support them, even in just a small way.
“The team were all really friendly and it was our pleasure to spend time with them during the week, plus watching them in action was really impressive and great to see how these drones are being put to work in such an important way.”
