BENGALURU: In a first, Karnataka police are set to acquire drones to help improve public safety and service delivery, among other things.
“The police department is in the process of inviting tenders for 80-100 indigenous drones as part of its modernisation plan at an estimated cost of Rs 4 crore,” S Murugan, Additional Director-General of Police, Communication, Logistics and Modernisation (CLM), told The New Indian Express.
He heads a technical committee to look into the specifics of drones that can be utilised by the police in various functions -- from improving public safety, search and rescue operations, security, surveillance on illegal, anti-national activities, movements, contraband crops to crisis management, law and order, crowd control, VIP movement, timely delivery of medicines, including anti-venom, quick access to accident sites and emergencies in difficult terrains, etc.
The use of drones is not new in law enforcement operations, but this is the first time the state police are procuring unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in bulk for efficient policing and service delivery.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has authorised the Centre for Counter Terrorism (CCT) of the Internal Security Division (ISD), a specialised wing of Karnataka Police, to train police personnel to use drones.
Drones are force multipliers and have given an edge to law enforcement operations across the world.