Future Developments

The National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) have established a Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) Pathway Programme. The vision of this programme is to enable forces and partners to deliver drone capabilities to keep the public safe. Objectives of this Programme include establishing a framework for scrutiny and oversight for police drones across the UK, and to develop a pathway to achieve a sustainable BVLOS capability.

A workstream within this Programme is the ‘Drone as a First Responder’ workstream. This would see drones promptly deployed to incidents in urban areas, with the aim of enhancing both officer and public safety.

Police Scotland has committed to work with the CAA and partners to explore supporting BVLOS capabilities. Police Scotland often works in partnership with police forces in England and Wales.