Police give three surplus drones to Cornwall search and rescue teams

When someone goes missing on a moor or a stretch of coast after dark, the people looking for them are often volunteers. Some of those volunteers have just been handed three new sets of eyes.

Devon & Cornwall Police has donated three drones to Peninsula Search and Rescue (PenSAR), the regional body for the voluntary search and rescue teams that support the emergency services across Cornwall and Devon.

The drones were surplus to the force’s requirements. For PenSAR, they are the kind of equipment its own drone officer says is expensive for a smaller charity to buy.

What the drones can do

PenSAR’s teams respond to calls from the police and the ambulance service when members of the public are lost, injured or at risk, particularly in remote places.

Sergeant Chris Linzey, Chief Drone Pilot and Flight Safety Manager for Devon & Cornwall Police, said: “These drones are very capable bits of kit and, even though they are surplus to our requirements, they will be put to excellent use by PenSAR.

“Devon & Cornwall Police is the largest geographic Force in England and there are many remote beauty spots across the two counties including coasts and moors. Drones can reach areas where officers can’t always get to quickly and are a unique tool that can provide real-time aerial footage and thermal imaging to support searches.

“The donated drones signal a very big jump in the capabilities for this search and rescue group as they are weatherproof and can be used in low light or darkness, acting as a very efficient extra pair of eyes in the sky.

“We rely on these fantastic charity volunteer organisations to assist us with our important search operations so we are more than happy to do what we can to support them in return.”

Why it matters to the volunteers

Alec Collyer MBE, PenSAR Drone Officer, said a number of the organisation’s teams have started using drones in support of their search and rescue work for Devon & Cornwall Police.

“To maximise the usefulness of these assets the drones need to be able to locate people using thermal imaging, fly in little or no light and be weatherproof for the region’s climate,” Alec said. “Drones that can do that are expensive for smaller charities such as ours.

“This wonderful donation from Devon & Cornwall Police will go a long way to help our volunteer teams in search and rescue for those injured, missing and vulnerable in the region.”

A decade of police drones

Devon & Cornwall Police began trialling and deploying drone technology in 2015. In 2017 it went on to create the country’s first full time dedicated police drone unit.

The force now has a fleet of around 20 drones for incidents across the two counties. They work alongside other search methods, including dogs, the National Police Air Service (NPAS) and officers on the ground.

Assistant Chief Constable Glen Mayhew of Devon & Cornwall Police is the national policing lead for search and rescue.

Glen said: “Drones are a vital tool for police forces to allow us to help vulnerable members of society and others who may need rescue. Every day our officers are called upon to assist in challenging situations and I am proud of how we utilise the latest technology to bring these incidents to a safe conclusion.

“We are grateful to organisations such as PenSAR and the volunteers who give their time to help the police. This donation of equipment will potentially help them reach even more people.”

Who PenSAR are

Peninsula Search and Rescue was formerly known as PenMaCRA. It is the regional body of Mountain Rescue (England & Wales) for all the voluntary search and rescue teams of the South West Peninsula, covering Cornwall, Devon, Avon and Somerset.