A drone could soon be flying across the sky above Newtown as part of police operations.
The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) could soon be used on certain operations, including searching for vulnerable people, road traffic accident investigations and other uses.
Dyfed Powys Police has teamed up with Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service to use their existing UAVs as part of an agreement.
Dyfed-Powys Police Sergeant Chris Neve said: “Mid and West Wales Fire Service are assisting us with Air Support, in addition to the support we receive from the National Police Air Service (NPAS), by allowing us to use their specialist drone when required.
“We have used the drone on a number of occasions to assist in searches for vulnerable missing people, as part of road traffic collision investigations, river rescues and more.
“This is a great example of collaborative working in a time where emergency services have experienced budget cuts over recent years. It is up to us to work together and work smarter to make sure we’re providing the best possible emergency services to the public we serve.”
Station Manager Sean Lloyd said, “The UAV Drones have been used by Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service since October 2015. We use them operationally at incidents that range from wildfires, large scale fires, fires in roofs and chemical incidents. We also utilise the UAV Drones when working with the police during rescues from water and at height and searches for missing persons.
“We work in partnership with Dyfed-Powys Police across a broad range of activities and sharing our assets in this way, during emergency situations, allows both the police and fire and rescue service to share intelligence and stream line our efforts to effectively protect our communities.”
Photo: (Left to right) Sergeant Chris Neve, Watch Manager Arwel Hughes, Cymro (the urban search and rescue dog), Station Manager Sean Lloyd and Watch Manager Kevin Morgan.
