Drones are set to become a part of day-to-day policing in the coming months following the creation of a new Garda Drone Unit.
They look set to be deployed initially to pursue offenders, including those in vehicles, and for rapid dispatch to the scenes of major emergencies to provide “eye in the sky” intelligence for gardaí.
The drones are also expected to be used during major public order incidents, including riots, to record footage for identifying and prosecuting suspects.
And they could be dispatched to the scenes of planned operations, including co-ordinated searches against organised crime gangs, to provide intelligence.
In Britain, where drone units have long been operational within most police forces, they have also been used to aid searches for missing persons and even to gather evidence and photograph crime scenes and other areas of interest.
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Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly said the new unit was now part of Operational Support Services and its roll-out was being overseen by Acting Deputy Commissioner Paul Cleary.
“We are working through our procedures on how we are going to use them,” Kelly said. Gardaí had already identified many members of the force with considerable drone experience and had liaised with police forces in other countries already using drones, he said.
“I was only in New York a couple of weeks ago and I visited the drone unit in One Police Plaza in the NYPD and saw how effectively they are using drones there,” Kelly said. “In the near future you will certainly be seeing An Garda Síochána using drones for everyday work.”
In some countries, he said, drones were based on police stations in various parts of cities, allowing for their rapid dispatch to any serious incident, providing “real-time support for officers on the ground”.
The Garda was also working on its counter-drone capabilities, which was a separate policing area, with Ireland’s upcoming presidency of the European Union in mind.
The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) believes they could be used instead of Garda vehicles in high-speed pursuits. At its annual conference in Westport, Co Mayo, AGSI members called for drones to be installed in every Garda vehicle, with training provided on how to use them.