To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 14 December (HL4020), whether they will now answer the question put, namely which police forces in England and Wales use drones for operational purposes.
Answered on
20 December 2017
The deployment of drones is an operational decision for the police.
In a report published on 30 November HMICFRS reported that 28 police Forces had access to a drone. Information published by the Civil Aviation Authority shows that at present 19 Police Forces hold licenses to operate drones commercially.
A number of police forces operate drones in collaboration with other forces or agencies. An example of this is Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service who provide drone services to Lancashire Constabulary.