Intelligence IG P Prakash said 45 officers were trained to operate the drones and they will primarily be used to maintain law and order.
A representative image of a drone (Unsplash)
Kerala has become the first state in the country to have a drone surveillance system in all police districts.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan distributed drones to all police districts and drone pilot licences to trained pilots at a function held in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday, 11 May.
He also launched indigenously developed anti-drone software on the occasion.
Vijayan said that Kerala has been at the forefront of modernisation of the police force and that since the use of drones has increased in society, the development of an anti-drone system is also important.
He also requested that the drone pilots pass on their knowledge to colleagues.
Speaking to South First, Intelligence IG P Prakash IPS said the project was initiated in August 2021 when the Kerala police became the first in the country to start the first drone forensic lab and research centre.
Later, Kerala police sent 25 police personnel to the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M), for specialised training, and another 20 were given basic training at the drone lab in Kerala.
All 20 police districts were given one drone each.
“We selected 45 police officers and trained them. Twenty-five of them completed a DCGA-certified, three-week drone pilot course which was held at IIT-M. The remaining 20 were trained in our labs and these officers will operate the drones in police districts,” Prakash said.
“Earlier, the Kerala police used to hire drones as we didn’t have trained officers to operate them. Now, we have systematised the process. We have a clear standard operating procedure for these drones,” he added.
Prakash said the drones will primarily be deployed for managing public law and order.
“Let’s say there is a big festival attended by a large crowd. We can manage the crowd with the help of these drones. If there is a huge traffic block, we can easily solve the issue. Similarly, if there is a major crime we can keep a check on the situation and the police can later enter the scene,” he explained.
He also cited the recurring flood situation in the state. The drones can play a pivotal role in rescue operations during a natural disaster, the officer said.
Citizens’ privacy will not be violated as the drones are used for maintaining law and order that too in unique circumstances, Prakash added.
Kerala is the first state to develop a drone forensic lab and an anti-drone system. The drone forensic lab can identify rogue drones and recover full data from them for detailed analysis.
Similarly, the anti-drone system could spot any drone in a five-kilometre radius, immobilise, and seize it.
“This is an indigenously developed anti-drone system, and we are proud of it,” Prakash said.
He said the police are researching the possibilities of adding artificial intelligence to drones. The officer expressed hope that drones could soon be added AI capabilities.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the Kerala police effectively used drones for surveillance during the lockdown periods.
(With PTI inputs)
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