WA Police Force's Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) Expansion Project has reached the Wheatbelt District, with four local police officers being trained to become police drone Pilots.
The 12-month training program commenced in July 2020 with several police officers from specialist units, such as Major Crash Investigation Section, being trained in the first phase of the training delivery program.
The Wheatbelt District officers are the third group of regional officers to take part in the training, with officers from Great Southern District and South West District trained in recent months. The officers who have been selected to undergo the training are required to complete the same theory and practical training that any other RPAS Pilot needs to complete under CASA requirements.
Upon completion of the training the Wheatbelt District will be allocated two RPAS assets, or drones, to deploy locally when they are required. The arrival of the new drones will significantly increase local air support capability and the capacity to provide aerial support to local police across the district in a wide range of situations, including the emergency response to situations such as land search and marine search operations.
The local police drones will not replace traditional aircraft deployments, with Police Air Wing and other aircraft still available for emergency needs. The new drones will provide additional options available for immediate deployment and will complement other aircraft deployments.
Inspector Mark TWAMLEY from the Wheatbelt District Office said the arrival of the new technology will be of particular benefit for land search operations.
"I expect the new police drones will significantly enhance our response to land search operations across the district. In addition to those searches we also have the Lancelin coastline and in-land waterways where this technology will play an important role in the response to emergencies.
"The Wheatbelt region is popular for tourists and events and taking delivery of this new technology will be a significant boost to support our efforts to keep the community safe."
Police in the Mid West – Gascoyne District are next to receive their RPAS Pilot training and drone assets, with the regional training rollout expected to be completed by the end of June 2021. By the end of the training rollout it is expected there will be 60 trained RPAS Pilots and 40 drones deployed across the state.
