Two new drones headed North to help police track offenders

World-class drones rolling out in North Queensland will give police an eye in the sky when tracking offenders, with the hi-tech machines already proving a success.

World-class drones rolling out in North Queensland will give police an eye in the sky when tracking down offenders, with the hi-tech machines already proving a success.

The advanced Teledyne FLIR SkyRanger R70, used by militaries across the globe, has joined the Queensland Police Service fleet and is undergoing testing ahead of its deployment to Townsville and Cairns.

The new model will join another drone, the DJI M30 PRAS, which has been helping cops in the North hunt down offenders since it was trialled last year.

New footage from the police drones show it tracking offenders through back yards and streets in Townsville, as well as honing in on offenders on the run in Cairns.

Acting Deputy Commissioner Mark Wheeler said the drones were a “game changer”.

“Rapid technological progress is being made in many spheres of our daily lives, and this is another example of how technology can be adapted to deliver better outcomes,” Mr Wheeler said.

Inspector Daniel Bust, Acting Deputy Commissioner Mark Wheeler, Police Minister Mark Ryan and Chief Remote Pilot Sgt Mark Gamer. Picure: Richard Walker

“The QPS has been successfully using RPAS operationally for many years in specialist units, however, this new high standard and advanced mission capable aircraft takes it to another level.”

The drones were initially announced in February last year and faced some controversy for the lack of information on how many would be in each region or how they would work.

Training on the M30 had been conducted in December while further training on the R70 was due to start soon.

Mr Wheeler couldn’t say how many officers would be trained to fly the drones, but was sure there would be enough for the device to be deployed whenever it was needed.

Drones are strictly regulated by Civil Aviation Safety Authority requirements, but Mr Wheeler said he was sure the drones would not interrupt airspace.

Queensland Police Service launching new drones at Wacol, Friday, February 10, 2023 - Picture: Richard Walker

“The range and capability of the R70 in particular will really leave us in a position where we are not having to go into airspace where we encroach on the operations of the airport.”

The drones won’t be used to chase stolen cars, but Mr Wheeler said it had already been used to track offenders with success.

On February 3, the drone was used to track offenders from a stolen car in Cairns.

The high-quality footage shows the offenders’ location clearly and the tracks their every movement.

The QPS is the holder of a Remote Operators Certificate, and all RPAS pilots have a Remote Pilot Licence and receive regular training and testing from the QPS Chief Remote Pilot.

Originally published as Two new drones headed North to help police track offenders