Western Australia police to trial drones that beat officers to the scene

The Western Australian government has launched a Drone as First Responder program, called DFR X, that it describes as an Australian-first. Remotely piloted drones will launch from dedicated docking stations and can reach an unfolding incident within seconds, giving officers real-time video before they arrive.

The program will initially operate across Baldivis, Kwinana and Rockingham, within the Mandurah Police District. Unlike earlier police drone use, DFR X lets aircraft be dispatched remotely from a dedicated command centre set up in Perth's CBD, and the drones can fly beyond visual line of sight to cover a wider area. The government says the drones will support responses to hooning, missing persons, land searches, family and domestic violence matters, welfare concerns, stolen vehicles and crimes in progress.

Police Minister Reece Whitby said no other Australian police force has advanced this far with drones, and framed the program as giving officers an early picture of dangerous situations before they enter them, improving safety for both police and the public.

Why it matters

It's a concrete example of drones moving from occasional police tool to a standing, remotely dispatched layer of emergency response.

Source: Government of Western Australia