The British Transport Police (BTP) has unveiled its pioneering new remote ‘drone in a box’ capability, marking them as the first police force in the country to operationalise this advanced drone technology. The move aims to bolster public safety and minimise disruptions across the rail network.
This innovative capability will significantly enhance the BTP’s capacity to respond swiftly and effectively to incidents occurring on the railway, ultimately improving safety, reducing delays, and providing crucial real-time support to frontline officers.
The drones will be strategically stationed at key locations across the network identified as hotspots for trespass and other disruptive incidents. These drones will be flown remotely from the BTP’s central control room in London, enabling a faster response to incidents, facilitating more informed decision-making, and freeing up on-the-ground officers to attend to other offences.
While standard drone operations typically require the pilot to maintain a Visual Line of Sight (VLOS), usually within a 500-metre radius for smaller drones, police forces are permitted to operate beyond this distance (Beyond Visual Line of Sight) under State Aircraft legislation.
The BTP has become the first force to proactively seek legal counsel and routinely and regularly utilise Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations in support of their policing duties, rather than solely for emergency situations.
In addition to securing the necessary legal framework, the BTP’s dedicated team has undertaken substantial behind-the-scenes work to guarantee that all drone operations are conducted within a robust safety framework.
Last week (24th of April), a launch event was held at one of the pilot sites in Leeds. This event featured a live demonstration of the drone capability for key industry partners, including Network Rail, the Department for Transport, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) Drones lead, West Yorkshire Police, Northern Rail, and the British Transport Police Authority (BTPA).
Chief Constable Lucy D’Orsi stated: “Our new ‘drone in a box’ capability is going to be transformational to our ability to reduce disruption across the rail network.”
“This is groundbreaking technology which will allow us to respond to trespass incidents quickly, saving the industry money, improving safety, and keeping the railway moving for passengers.”
“It is a fantastic example of the advances we are making at BTP to shape the future of policing, and I’m excited to work with rail industry partners to expand this across the railway as we work together to keep the public safe and reduce disruption.”
