Drones give Cops aerial advantage

City Police get four drones for crime prevention, surveillance and crowd control

Mysore/Mysuru: Patrolling with torches and batons is steadily giving way to technology-driven policing, with the Police Department adopting drones to strengthen law enforcement and public safety.

In the past, policing relied largely on traditional gear and manual patrols. Over the years, however, the Department has undergone gradual modernisation. Officers, who once depended only on batons, are now being equipped with advanced tools such as drone cameras to improve operational efficiency.

Recently, the State Police Department supplied four drones to the Mysuru City Police. Police Commissioner Seema Latkar inspected their functioning at her office premises in Nazarbad and instructed officers and staff to deploy them for crime prevention and detection, maintenance of law and order, and crowd management.

Officials said, drones would be particularly useful in congested areas where vehicles cannot reach and crowd monitoring becomes difficult. By providing aerial visuals of events, drones can help prevent untoward incidents. Recognising their utility, the Government has directed Police units to adopt drone technology.

So far, surveillance has largely depended on CCTV and AI-enabled cameras. The introduction of drones marks a further step forward, enabling the capture of high-resolution photographs and videos from above, offering clearer views of individuals, objects and locations.

According to officials, drones can monitor areas spread over several kilometres, helping the Police anticipate and prevent disasters. They can assist in tracking suspects fleeing crime scenes and in monitoring fire accidents, road mishaps, animal movement, group clashes and other emergencies.

Policing crowded locations such as bus stands, railway stations and markets often poses challenges. Drones allow officers to observe activities from a distance and can also help detect illegal activities such as gambling or other anti-social gatherings in secluded areas hidden by vegetation.

With the introduction of drones, the Mysuru Police aim to strengthen crime prevention, law and order, and crowd management, marking another step towards modern, technology-driven policing.