WA Police Force launches drone program in southern Perth

“This is an Australian-first. No other Australian police force has advanced this far in the use of drones. In fact, it’s advanced crime fighting on a global scale,” said WA Police Minister Reece Whitby.

“My message to criminals and hoons is, you won’t see us coming, you won’t hear us coming, but we’ll be there in the air watching your every move.

“This is about giving our police an invaluable tool – the ability to have eyes on the scene much sooner. It improves safety for our officers in blue on the front line.”

The WA Government has set up a dedicated remote operational command centre in the Perth CBD to “co-ordinate deployments and support the future expansion of the capability”.

According to the state government, DFR X will “give police an extra set of eyes in the sky, helping them assess risks, make faster and better-informed decisions, and determine what resources are needed”.

“Unlike traditional police drone deployments, DFR X allows aircraft to be dispatched remotely from a dedicated command centre in Perth’s CBD, with drones able to operate beyond visual line of sight and cover a wider operational area,” the government said.

VIEW ALL

>

“The capability will support police responding to a range of incidents across the Mandurah Police District, including hooning, missing persons, land searches, family and domestic violence matters, welfare concerns, stolen motor vehicles, and crimes in progress.

“By providing an early picture of what is unfolding, DFR X will help officers better understand potentially dangerous situations before entering them, supporting safer and more effective responses for police and the community.”

WA’s DFR X program follows the extension earlier this year of a NSW Police drone trial in the regional town of Moree.

Launched in February, the POLAIR Remote program has seen two drones, operated from Bankstown Airport, conduct aerial surveillance to improve police response times. This is the first time Australian police have used drones in this way.

The programs have been criticised by privacy and human rights advocates, with Timothy Roberts, president of the NSW Council for Civil Liberties, telling SBS News that he is “deeply concerned about the lack of transparency about the evidence base for why these drones are needed”.

“These are difficult times, but we do not have to take large steps because we have a fancy new technology without first considering some of the implications,” he said.

“There’s no real rhyme or reason that’s been provided by either police force as to why they need to move this quickly and at this alarming rate without these protections.”

The WA government says any expansion of its program beyond the first stage will be “subject to separate planning, funding, governance and approval arrangements”.