Drones-enabled SMART Policing

By Vishal Saurav,

With the phenomenal amount of research and investments in developing cutting-edge technology, drones – also referred to as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) – are making an increasing difference to our lives with each passing day. Even in a country like India where the advantages of newer technology take longer to percolate down to the masses, no longer is drone usage merely the gimmicky prerogative of wedding and outdoor adventure photographers. Right from the food we consume to the movies we watch at the theatre, drones are finding a wider spectrum of roles to be used in.

However, if there is one critical area that needs identification as being the most beneficially impacted by the rapid advancement in drone technology, it is the role increasingly played by the UAVs in the vital job of smart policing across the length and breadth of the country. In fact, almost all the Indian law enforcing agencies have been relying on the use of these drones in recent times.

Benefitting smart policing

The concept of ‘Smart Policing’ propagated by the government represents a revised strategic approach that introduces the element of more “science” into police operations by leveraging innovative applications of analysis, technology and evidence-based practices. This concept was introduced by the Prime Minister Shri. Narendra Modi at a conference of DGPs of State and Central Organizations that was held at Guwahati in 2014. It outlined systemic changes to transform the Indian Police to be more efficient, modern, accountable, reliable and trained, with the aid of advanced technology.

The resulting embracement of technology and other scientific measures, especially the state-of-the-art powerful drones, have immensely contributed to bettering the services of the police forces across the country. Almost all of them use the services to improve the law and order situation in the respective States. For example, the Delhi Police have been using drones effectively, especially during the Delhi Assembly elections and the devastating riots in the city in February 2020. The services of drones were also employed to monitor potential protests during the foundation of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya while the Indian Railways have also procured them to keep their premises under strict observation. The Uttar Pradesh Police also used over 100 UAVs to monitor the congregation at this year’s Mahakumbh Mela at Haridwar.

The high-resolution cameras present in drones have obviously provided the police forces with the much-required additional advantage of gaining a heads-up of sensitive areas before actually stepping into the high-risk zones. The ‘tethered drones’ have facilitated them to obtain a 24X7 bird’s eye view of any particular locality or area. Their ‘object-tracking’ feature has helped them detect as well as track many suspicious vehicles and other objects in real time.

Even during the recent Covid-19 pandemic, the police used drones for surveillance as well as collection of data in the form of images and videos to ensure the citizens were adhering to norms enforcing the lockdown. In fact, the surveillance drones hugely simplified the job of the law-keepers by recording the footage in SD cards and relaying a live feed to them.

The Mumbai Police have also used drone technology to observe lockdown protocols in susceptible areas like Dharavi and Andheri. Drones used by police forces in Punjab, Telengana and across Kerala were able to send alerts the nearest police officer upon detecting individuals less than six feet apart, employing a combination of Artificial Intelligence, location mapping and high-definition cameras. In cities like Chennai, drones have continued to play a critical role even after the relaxation of lockdown norms. They are not only benefitting the successful functioning of the police but also ensuring the safety of the citizens and protection of valuable data.

All the above security techniques are in line with an ever-growing trend of employing drones as policing tools such as in the USA, Australia, Brazil and the United Arab Emirates.

The future is bright, riding on our PM’s vision

The future of UAVs in India seems to be very bright, with a cohesive central administrative vision of propelling India into becoming a leading country in drone technology. In keeping with this, just recently our Prime Minister initiated the setting up of a High Power Police Technology Mission under the Union Home Ministry. This stresses on adoption of technologies like drone technology to improve policing at the grassroot level and for developing “inter-operable technologies”, an initiative aimed to benefit police forces across the country.

The recent changes that have been made in drone policy (to ease licensing issues, huge costs and other pressing issues) should further unlock the positive use of this technology for the benefit of the citizens. While stressing on the review of the ‘Smart Policing’ concept, Shri. Modi has called for a new roadmap to bring about its continuous “transformation and institutionalization” in the police forces across the country. The government is optimistic that further involvement of drones will bolster key aspects of national security that confront the police forces such as prison reforms, terrorism, left-wing extremism, cyber crime, narcotics trafficking and development of border villages.

In keeping with this new direction, the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force have placed orders worth more than Rs 500 crores with Indian drone companies. In fact, after the introduction of the new drone policy on August 25 this year, several domestic as well as foreign investors have invested substantially in several upcoming drone-related start-ups. We are definitely poised to witness further investments pouring into this sector.

No wonder, India is pegged to be the fastest-growing drone market in the world which is expected to touch $1,810 million by FY 2026, growing at a CAGR of 14.61%.

(The author is CEO & Founder, VFLYX India and XBOOM Utilities. Views expressed are personal and do not reflect the official position or policy of the Financial Express Online.)