UAS/ UAVs were on the agenda at the National Police Aviation Service meeting in 2009. As reported in the Times earlier in the year (and evidenced in the documents linked below) use of UAVs are on a wish list for the London Olympics.
in late 2009 head of business development security at BAE, who are lead development team with NPAO, described the potential role out of UAVs as a "fundamental change to Air Support for the Police"
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/reques...DISCLOSURE.pdf
The question is will UAVs will be sold to the public as a replacement for helicopters? There is no doubt that they will be a valuable tool but they should not be considered a replacement for helicopters in all circumstances.
Under the watch of the press, the roll out of UAS would falter if this is the public's expectation.
The latest 'small" (sub 7kgs) four rotor systems are basically autonomous and relatively easy to learn to "fly" But can they be deployed in enough numbers from the back of a patrol cars to be able to launch with a similar response time to the typical police helicopter? It would be a brave chief constable to commit to a full scale rollout.
Can a small UAS track a suspect for few miles when ine of sight operation is mandatory by aviation authorities at the moment?
Small UAS/UAVs should be allowed a few years of creative deployment and tweaking on the job, rather than to ape manned helicopters from day one.
Larger more expensive UAS for coastal patrols ect will be a valuable addition to aerial policing, it remains to be seen if CAA will allow their use within control zones and over densely populated areas.
In the meantime expect to see 7kg systems whirring around below 200 feet, but unless the operator has a high vantage point they won't be straying too far.
Mickjoebill