Peel Regional Police could soon begin using drones as first responders for 911 calls, a move one expert says could be very effective.
The decision was first shared by Peel Regional Police (PRP) at a telephone community safety town hall meeting in July, with reports saying that the pilot program could begin as early as this fall.
In a statement to Now Toronto, PRP confirmed it is exploring the use of drone technology as a first responder for select 911 calls, and would be the first police force in Canada to do so, PRP says.
“The initiative aims to reduce response times and provide officers with real-time information before they arrive,” PRP said in the statement.
Drones may be used for in-progress incidents such as break and enters, missing vulnerable persons, or auto thefts, according to police.
“All drone operations will be managed by trained officers through our Aerial Support Unit and Community Safety Operations Centre,” the statement said.
PRP says it is currently in the planning and regulatory review phase and will begin with a limited pilot to assess cost, operational value, and community impact.
According to the statement, specific 911 call types are still being finalized by the police force.
According to Toronto Metropolitan University Computer Science professor Alex Ferworn, the use of drone technology in police forces could be an effective use of technology.
“They’re very cost effective. It means you don’t have to buy a helicopter, and that’s quite a cost saving,” Ferworn said in an interview with Now Toronto. “Helicopters cost millions of dollars to operate, drones, you purchase one that’s very good with a good camera for under $1,000 and you’re off and away.”
Ferworn says his own area of research in computational public safety has already shown that the usage of drones is promising in public safety.
“One of the things we use are drones. So, we have algorithms for finding people with dementia, people living with dementia. We train pilots on how people (with dementia) think, and they use drones to find them faster,” he said.
He also says that the Ontario Provincial Police have already been using drones for search and rescue.
But although he says they are promising for policing, privacy concerns may arise from the public.
According to PRP, drones will not be used for general surveillance or utilize facial recognition technology.
“Privacy protections, including a Privacy Impact Assessment and community consultations, will guide implementation,” police said.
PRP said it will share more details about the potential use of drone technology “at an appropriate time.”
