YOU might soon see police drones zooming over your head, as police announce they could be used to find criminals, investigate car crashes and to search for missing people. 

Drones may soon be a frequent part of the police’s armoury, with Thames Valley Police confirming they will roll out a pilot to test the capability of the machines in policing.

Thames Valley Police will join with the Hampshire Constabulary to test the devices in reactive and pre-planned situations.

Thirty-four drone operators have been trained across the two forces.

The devices could be used in a variety of incidents such as searching for missing people, responding to major incidents, capturing aerial crime scene imagery, at road traffic collisions, large public events and other policing operations.

How will it work? Watch the video below 

Members of the public will see the use of drones from mid-August when the pilot scheme goes operational for both Forces.

Assistant Chief Constable David Hardcastle, responsible for operation across Thames Valley and Hampshire, said: “We are launching a proof of concept to look at the effectiveness of using drones as an operational tactic for officers in the two forces.

“We will look at how drones can assist in a variety of overt policing situations with a view to rolling out the use of drones in both forces permanently, should the pilot be a success.

“This is an exciting opportunity for both forces, which will mean officers can get an aerial view of large areas in a short periods of time, so their use should really assist with finding offenders suspected of crime or disorder and, missing people in large open expanses or wooded areas, providing live feeds for officers at major incidents or football games and protests and many other applications.

“Both Thames Valley Police and Hampshire Constabulary are committed to using technology to fight crime and make the public safer and hopefully the use of drones will be another tool available to do this.”