'Eyes in the sky' boost for police force

The force deploys drones to help officers on the ground

A force says a police drone will be only minutes from an incident after expanding its fleet.

The addition of four more "eyes in the sky" and 16 new pilots means Durham Police now has more than 15 drones.

They are used in emergency situations to help officers on the ground, as well as help search for missing people or tackle anti-social behaviour.

With 40 pilots now qualified to use them, several hubs have been created across County Durham and Darlington which can operate round the clock.

The force said since February, its current fleet was deployed hundreds of times, including for pre-planned support, such as the King's visit to Durham Cathedral, and for immediate response to incidents.

The drones had helped to find 21 missing people and 54 people suspected of an offence, it added.

Drones operation manager PC Aaron O'Roarty said: "Their role ... has not only helped in the prevention and detection of crime but has been instrumental to the reduction of anti-social behaviour around off-road motorcycles and youth nuisance on our streets.

"Most importantly police drones save lives; we have deployed drones on a regular basis in the search for vulnerable or missing persons, finding people often in crisis and reducing search times for officers on the ground.

"Police drones provide a truly unique viewpoint for officers and have proven criminals can run but they can't hide from a drone."