IN reply to the recent letters in the Bolton News about the police use of drones to catch car thieves, I would like to point out that several police forces in the UK are already evaluating the use of drones for various surveillance purposes.

A pilot scheme is being launched on Thursday by West Mercia and Warwickshire police forces to tackle crime and track down missing people with the use of drones.

However the use of drones by the police to pursue stolen cars is still some way off. Commercial drones do not have the speed and endurance for this task and military drones like the Reaper are far too expensive to use. Greater Manchester Police did operate a fixed wing manned aircraft, India 66 until a few years ago. This aircraft, which was fitted with sophisticated camera surveillance equipment, had greater speed and endurance than most drones as well as the police helicopter.

It could also fly at a much higher altitude and had lower operating costs than the helicopter, and it was ideal for high speed car pursuits. However this aircraft was scrapped a few years ago due to the government's cutbacks in Greater Manchester's police forces financial budget.

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