Drone arrest on towpath

THE police in Merseyside made the first ever arrest in the UK using a flying drone, of a man hiding on a towpath in fog.

The drone is an unmanned flying vehicle that uses CCTV and thermal imaging that can work in both darkness and fog.

It was brought into action when the police had a report of  two men stealing a Renault Clio in Bootle with the thieves baling out, resulting in one being caught but the other fleeing.

It was then the drone was called into action, with its ground-based operator directing it, using thermal imaging to follow the suspect in the dark and fog, where he was finally apprehended lying by the side of the Leeds & Liverpool towpath in Bootle.

The drone is operated by the force's anti-social behaviour task force and directed from the ground by remote control, providing the force with a cheaper alternative to the police helicopter when aerial surveillance is needed.