DRONES have been used in the skies above south Shropshire.

The 'spies in the sky' are the latest weapon in the armoury of West Mercia Police and are being used as part of a six month trial.

"During the trial drones will be used in two ways - they may be deployed to an incident as a resource to assist or they may be used in a pre-planned operation for example to help manage public safety at an event,” said Inspector Damian Sowrey who is overseeing the trial.

The flying machine has already been used to gather evidence by taking aerial photographs of road traffic collisions and also assisted officers search an area by providing an aerial view that can be viewed from the ground."

It has been deployed road traffic collisions and assisted officers in the search for a missing person.  The drone was also used to support officers searching for someone believed to have run off from a suspected stolen vehicle.

"Whilst there are a lot of benefits to the use of drones, we are keen to reassure the public that public safety is of paramount importance at all times,” added Inspector Sowrey. 

“Policies and procedures have been put in place to ensure that air operations using these small drones are carried out safely, ethically and in accordance with relevant CAA regulations."

Each drone is controlled by a fully trained Operator who has physical responsibility for the direction and control of the aircraft.  A second person referred to as an Observer is responsible for operating the photographic equipment attached to the device.  

The data the drones gather is held on a stand-alone system within West Mercia Police accessible by both forces.  The rules that govern the storage of information are the same as body worn video and CCTV.