Drones are set to be used by the city of Dorset, Devon and Cornwall to help the police with things like searches for missing people as well as in crime scene photography.

The use of drones will initially be in trial, with each city to conduct six-month trials. Both Devon and Cornwall have begun their trials already, and Dorset's trial will begin on Nov. 26. The drones will be equipped with high definition cameras for both video and photo capturing.

The use of drones for police work is a perfect way to put the increasingly-popular technology to good use, and this is likely to catch on as time advances. It wouldn't be surprising if most police forces in the western world began using drones within the next decade.

"Drones offer many benefits that complement the NPAS helicopter and are by no means a replacement for this service," said Andy Hamilton, an inspector leading the trials. "This technology offers a potentially highly cost effective approach to missing person searches, crime scene photography, and responding to major road traffic collisions."

Hamilton continued on to mention that using drones could be extremely helpful for crime scenes on difficult terrains, such as cliffs.

Of course, while drones can be used for good and for solving crimes, they have been used in crimes plenty of times over the past few years. Back in August, for example, a drone was used to carry drones into a prison, which ended up sparking fights on prison grounds.

Via: BBC