Police drones ‘a waste of money’ says officer

Sky drones used by West Midlands police have been dubbed a waste of cash by officers on the street.

They believe the £19,000 paid for the high-tech machines should have been spent on recruiting a new officer for the West Midlands force.

One officer broke ranks to reveal the ill-feeling generated by the introduction of drones in July.

Not one arrest has been made through drones and the officer we spoke to alleged they could not be used at night or in the rain.

Information about police use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, drones and mini choppers, is limited on security grounds.

However following a Freedom of Information request, police have admitted no arrests have arisen from the use of UAVs.

Two drones have been purchased, costing £8,502.

The training cost is £10,620.

The public now have access to drones and that has proved a headache for police.

In March, West Midlands Police revealed they had investigated three UAV incidents stretching back to June, 2014.

There were reports of; an individual flying a drone in a public park; suspicious purchase of a drone; filming using a drone and a drone hovering over a building.