India's first 'Police Drone Unit' launched in Chennai
Greater Chennai City Police (GCP) launched the 'Police Drone Unit' on June 29, 2023, for aerial surveillance over vast areas and quick detection of criminal activities. Director General of Police (DGP) C. Surendra Babu inaugurated the newly created special unit at Besant Avenue, Adyar.
The unit has been set up in a two-story building and functions with over 20 trained police personnel. Currently, drones operate around the Marina and Elliots Beaches.
Mr. Babu said, “This is an important milestone for the Tamil Nadu Police. This project is the first of its kind in the country. The unit was set up at a cost of ₹3.6 crore.
Drone police unit
In this Drone Police Unit, there are a total of nine drones under three categories - quick response surveillance drones, heavy lift multirotor drones, and long-range survey wing aircraft - are available and equipped with in-built artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities and can be controlled from a ground station. Can be operated up to a distance of 5-10 km.
Drones will be used to keep an eye on the gathering of anti-social elements at specific times. Drones can be used to read the number plates of vehicles at night. Furthermore, with the facial recognition software attached, we can easily identify and locate criminals in the crowd. Also, drones will be helpful in planning crowd control.
The heavy lift drone equipped with thermal cameras can locate and rescue people trapped in sea waves by deploying life jackets even during the night.
