Essex Police to sell their sUAS

Life for early technology adopters is often not simple.

BBC Look East are reporting that Essex Police are selling their multicopter.

It was purchased in 2008 for £22,000 and never used.

The police cite uncertainty over operator licencing. Could that mean the pilots or the organisation or both.

Since January 2010 the rules have been clearly laid out in CAP722. Further changes are expected shortly to 722.

Merseyside Police did land themselves in a spot of bother with the CAA after an arrest that was aided by a multicopter. The CAA issued further guidance  September 2010  regarding the use of sUAS in or around people and property.

In the face of all the paperwork perhaps cameras on poles are not such a bad idea after all.

Its not clear which platform is for sale, for the origional purchase price a DraganFlyer X6 would seem to fit the bill.
Essex Police did undertake trials with Air Robots platforms.

Its interesting to note that many articles point to Essex Police routinely using sUAS and now it would seem they were not. Just how much useful work has been undertaken by emergency service personnel in the UK with sUAS?

Perhaps Kent and Essex Police forces joint collaboration the South Coast Partnership with BAE Systems is about to bear fruit and the small platform is no longer required.

Andrew Mellors, Head of Civil Autonomous Systems at BAE Systems, said: “From 2012 fully autonomous unmanned air systems could be routinely used by border agencies, the police and other government bodies.”

Speaking at the Police Aviation Conference in 2007 he added: “These systems will be fully autonomous so that operators task the vehicles and receive the relevant imagery and intelligence direct to the ground control station in real time.”

At that time the 2012 Olympics was the event that manufacturers wanted to get their kit over. The Herti UAS was widely touted as the platform of choice.

Perhaps a new announcement soon.