Inquiry after child hurt in police drone crash

The police drone had been deployed following a disturbance on the Isle of Sheppey

A senior police officer has been handed a misconduct notice after a child was seriously injured by a police drone.

Kent Police said officers were called to reports of an assault on the Isle of Sheppey at just after 16:00 BST on 2 August 2025 and deployed a drone to search for a suspect.

A Kent Police spokesperson said: "While in operation it struck an overhead cable and fell to the ground, hitting a child and injuring their hand." The child was taken to a London hospital with serious hand injuries, they added.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) confirmed this was the first time it had ever investigated a civilian being injured by a police drone, and that its inquiry continues.

In a statement, the IOPC said: "We can confirm we are independently investigating an incident where a child was hurt by a drone which crashed while being flown by Kent Police".

The watchdog added: "As part of the ongoing investigation we have served a misconduct notice on a special inspector. The serving of a notice does not necessarily mean disciplinary proceedings will follow."

Neither the police or the IOPC would disclose the age of the child, owing to the ongoing investigation.

The Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) said the incident happed in Sheerness and it was conducting a safety investigation.

Drone analyst and blogger Ian Hudson obtained confirmation of the incident after spending months trying to unearth the details via Freedom of Information requests

The details were unearthed by Ian Hudson, a drone commentator and analyst, after a string of failed Freedom of Information Act requests.

He said: "Consumer drones have become smaller and safer over recent years. Many are now around the size of a mobile phone.

"Larger platforms are still flown, but those tend to be used by emergency services and commercial operators undertaking more complex tasks such as surveying."

The AAIB said the drone was a UAS DJI M30T model - a high-performance drone weighing about 4kg (9lb) and designed for professional use. It is equipped with a thermal camera as well as wide and zoom cameras.

The office of the Kent police and crime commissioner said it was aware of the incident.

"As this is an operational matter that the IOPC are currently investigating, it is not appropriate for us to comment on this," a spokesman said.