Nova Scotia RCMP debut new aerial drones

CTV Atlantic: Nova Scotia RCMP debut new drone The Nova Scotia RCMP can take to the air more quickly and cheaply than ever before, thanks to aerial drones.

The Nova Scotia RCMP can take to the air more quickly and cheaply than ever before, thanks to aerial drones.

Const. Mark Skinner trained for two days with the manufacturer in order to learn how to pilot the Dragonfly. A high-resolution camera on the bottom of the drone can take still shots and video.

“I used it this past weekend,” says Skinner. “We had a collision on Highway 103, outside of Blockhouse, and I went up to take pictures of that collision.”

The 20-megapixel camera can pick up fine details from the air, capturing a view that shows the positions of the cars and skid marks, which can be useful if a case goes to court.

The camera uses an enhanced WiFi system and a small screen allows the pilot to see real-time action on the ground. The drone costs $30,000.

Some citizens have expressed concerns over police using the drones for surveillance, but officers say they will only be used in certain situations, such as car crashes, search and rescue operations and major crimes.

“Situations such as ERT calls, or SWAT calls, collision reconstructions, or collision scenes,” says Nova Scotia RCMP Sgt. Al LeBlanc.

“We’re also limited by the special flight operations certificate by Transport Canada, which states that we can only operate by line of sight, so I couldn’t, for example, fly it around a building or on top of a building,” says Skinner.

Last week, a similar model was used to find a confused and injured man following a car accident in Saskatchewan.

“A man was lost and the drone, or the UAV, was able to locate the man with the…infrared system,” says LeBlanc.

The RCMP have five drones in Nova Scotia, and say they will soon become a familiar sight at accidents and crime scenes.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Ron Shaw