Police to launch three-month drone patrol trial
發佈日期: 2025-05-21 19:33
TVB News
The police will launch on Friday a three-month drone patrol programme in the Border District and West Kowloon Region. The programme aims to optimise the allocation of police manpower.
The drones, similar in appearance to commercial models, will operate in two different regions starting this Friday.
In the Border District, they will follow pre-set routes autonomously, completing patrols in 15 to 20 minutes. That's a significant reduction in time compared with the current system under which two to three officers are assigned to the hour-long task.
In urban West Kowloon, officers will control the drones manually. Addressing privacy concerns, police say they will put up notices and notify residents of buildings in the area at least one week in advance.
There will be flashing lights on the drones during the patrol flights, and they will generally conduct live monitoring rather than recording. Footage will only be taken when they come across criminal activity during the flights.
Each police district is equipped with 20 drones that feature obstacle avoidance systems and thermal imaging capabilities for nighttime use. Urban operations will prioritise smaller drones with parachutes, and they will fly at a minimum altitude of 60 metres.
Looking ahead, the police plan to expand the drone patrol programme to the Peak and outlying islands like Cheung Chau, with the goal of making such patrols a permanent part of their operations.
