Discover three UAVs already being used in Law Enforcement. From keeping the peace to protecting wildlife, these drones are certainly the future of policing!

1. 3 UAVS ALREADY IN USE FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT
In this day and age, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV's) are being
used by a cross section of people. From the likes of the military for
drone strike operations and by normal people producing video
content or flying them for leisure, drones are now ubiquitous.One
other important application of drones is law enforcement. Police
forces in countries around the world are already deployed or testing
drones out in the field for the purposes of law enforcement.
The application spectrum is quite wide, making drones very flexible in terms of
its usage. So in this post we take a look at three drones that are already being
used in law enforcement. However, law enforcement agencies are not necessarily
very forthcoming when it comes to disclosing their drone technology, but we did
our best to get as much information as we could on the three models. Find out
more below:
1. Japan's Drone-Catching UAVs
image credit: toshifumi-kitamura-afp-getty-images
Another country in Asia whose police force is deploying UAVs is Japan. The
police department in Tokyo have purchased a drone capable of taking down other
drones. Since this is Japan, a country known for having law enforcement without
guns, the drones are not equipped with guns either.

2. Rather than taking such a lethal approach to law enforcement, the drones will use
nets instead to ensnare other drones that suspiciously approach government
buildings and important sites. These drones are much larger than
average UAV and deploy a very large net (6.5’x10’) to trap other flying objects in
its track.
Tokyo law enforcement is taking these measures because a little while ago, a
drone was spotted above Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s residence carrying
radioactive material. Fortunately, the material was not harmful and no one was
hurt. While these drones may not be for handling large crowds, they are effective
at dealing with the unique problem of other drones snooping around government
facilities.
2. Desert Wolf Skunk Riot Control Copter
Desert Wolf Skunk Riot Control Copter
According to The Times of India, police forces in Lucknow, a city in the north of
India, have purchased drones in 2014 and have been using them to conduct
surveillance. Now, they have bought some new ones that are equipped with

3. pepper sprays and paintball guns for crowd control in those more dire situations
where civilian behavior could go out of hand.
The drone, manufactured by South African company Desert Wolf, is controlled
remotely from the control center and it able to fly 600 m high for those aerial
shots. It is able to hover over a crowd in unrest and discharge pepper balls and
fire paintballs at a high rate (80 per second and 20 per second, respectively) for
riot control.
The UAV used by the Lucknow police force is called the Skunk Riot Control
Copter. It is fitted with onboard speakers to talk to people in a crowd, as well as
strobe lights and lasers to disorient crazed individuals.
3. Zimbabwe's Anti-Poaching Drones
In Africa, authorities are turning to drones in the fight against the poaching of
wildlife. The government in Zimbabwe plans to deploy unmanned aerial
vehicles over its biggest wildlife sanctuary as it combats poaching. For the
southern African country, and many other countries on the continent, wildlife
tourism is one of the biggest contributors to their economies.

4. Zimbabwe's use of drones comes after successful trials in wildlife sanctuaries in
neighbouring South Africa. In fact Zimbabwe's anti-poaching UAVs will be
deployed by the South African-based drone operator Otto Werdmuller Von Elgg.
The company is the one behind the test in S.A. and will now take its expertise to
help save Zimbabwe's wildlife.
The anti-poaching drones being used in the trials are regular off-the-shelf UAVs
but the technology offers huge benefits to wildlife conservationists. Their aerial
views allow the authorities to keep tags on high-risk animals such as Rhino and
Elephant while also helping to detect and track poachers.
Off the Shelf Drones
So far the Parks and Wildlife Management Authority in Zimbabwe have procured
two drones to use in the patrols. It is also encouraging that the authorities have
taken the steps to use a normal uav for sale off the shelf to help with their plans.
As with many other sectors, drones are once again proving to be extremely
beneficial to anti-poaching efforts. The issue has even made drone news in
various news outlets in the region and beyond. The response from the public has
been generally positive towards the plans, and with good reason.
Illegal hunters have killed dozens of animals in the region, some of them on
endangered lists, as they go after the animal’s prized ivory.

5. There is a high demand for ivory particularly in the east and this is what fuels
most poaching in Africa. The substance is coveted for its ornamental qualities as
well as dubious aphrodisiac claims. With tourism being affected by poaching,
authorities are now turning to UAVs as a way of combating the unsanctioned
hunting.
The unmanned aerial vehicles should be of great benefit to the anti-poaching
efforts and UAV Systems wishes them well.
These are just three examples of UAVs used by law enforcement. Besides Japan
and India, police forces in North America and Europe have also deployed drones
for surveillance and riot control. At the rate it is going, we will see more and more
police robots in the force. Stay tuned for more information of law enforcement
UAVs.
Know of any other drones being used in law enforcement? - Share
your thoughts with fellow UAV enthusiasts in the comments section
below!