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– It is time for all police districts to use drones. This makes the job more efficient, says drone pilot Daniel Kvalsund in the Troms police district.
So far, the use of drones by the police has been a pilot project in three of the country’s police districts. Agder, Troms, and Trøndelag have been testing drones since last fall in various situations.
Feedback has been exclusively positive.
– It is gratifying that this tool is now available to the entire police force in Norway, says emergency director Tone Vangen.
Each police district now has the opportunity to train six operators each. In total, around a hundred police officers will be trained who will be able to control drones in the country.
The Agder police have used drones in various search and rescue missions, with success.
Photo: Kristin Olsen / NRK
Drone saved lives
In Agder, the police have greatly benefited from drones in the search for missing persons.
For the first time in Norwegian police history, a missing woman was found alive in Lindesnes, using a drone’s heat search camera.
The drone pilot was able to see the missing woman on the ground from a height of 50 meters.
– It gives us a more accurate documentation of the crime scene in a faster way and a much better description of the situation, says Rune Lindtvedt in the Agder police.
Agder police found a missing woman alive with the help of a drone’s heat search camera.
Safe in dangerous situations
Troms police used a drone in connection with a trawler fire in Tromsø.
Police and rescue teams remained in a safe area as the drone approached the fire and chemicals.
Recently, a drone was also used in the search for a person who, according to the police, could be armed.
– In these situations, the drone gave us a correct picture of the situation even though we were at a distance. We could search for people without being exposed to risk, says Kvalsund.
Drone has also been tested in Trøndelag. Often in connection with serious traffic accidents.
– We get a perspective of height that otherwise we would not have had. Helicopter and aircraft resources are difficult to access. Having this tool on a daily basis makes it easier for us to lead teams, says police officer Andreas Nilsen.
Trondheim police used a drone when a man was shot outside a store in an Ila neighborhood.
Photo: Bjarte Johannesen
More useful in the future
Although it has been decided that drones can now be used across the country, it is up to each individual police district to use them.
The Minister of Justice and Emergency Management, Monica Mæland, is sure that everyone will use drones.
– Drones work in a completely different way than police patrols. This is how crime changes. Criminals use new tools. The police must do the same, says Mæland.
Drone pilot Kvalsund also believes that drones will make an important contribution to the work of the police.
– I think we just scratched the surface of the benefits drones can have for the police, he says.
The Minister of Justice and Emergency Management, Monica Mæland, believes that it is important that police districts use drones in the future.
Photo: Håkon Mosvold Larsen / NTB scanpix
