Police drones will be used in the fight against anti – social behavior in East Ayrshire this summer.
Police will launch the high-tech flying devices, equipped with video surveillance, in public locations such as parks and also plan to increase patrols.
Officials launched their annual summer campaign on Friday with local inspector Iain Farmer, who is leading the initiative, still convinced the scheme is not about criminalizing children during the summer months.
Inspector Iain Farmer explained: “Following our Easter campaign, we will be using drones to monitor public parks to help us better identify young people who are committing anti – social crime in those areas.
“Our air support unit is flying the drones and it’s a great tactic because the drones and the helicopters have the same capability. There are also visual and clear images that help us see if there is any crime going on.
“One of the biggest problems I find is that older people do not feel safe entering the town center because young people are gathering together under the influence.
“It simply came to our notice then.
“But we are not here to criminalize children, I cannot stress that enough.
“Our overall goal is to make children aware of the vulnerable jobs they may be facing and to keep everyone safe.
“We had a great relationship on our social media from anxious residents asking about the potential collateral disruption of drones use and I would like to reassure our community about their concerns.
“This is a fully supported policing tactic and I have done a community impact assessment. It has the same capability as a helicopter used by police since the 1980s.
“I continue to welcome any questions and am confident that this will be a successful campaign.”
The East Ayrshire Police division also launched its bottle marking scheme to identify where young people are buying a drink.
On the day, the Scottish Fire Rescue Service (SFRS), partners of East Ayrshire Council, alcohol and drug dependent staff, Vibrant Communities, charities, and invited elected members, joined the police on the day. .
“I am delighted to be working in partnership with the SFRS and vibrant communities,” said Inspector Farmer.
“Vibrant youth communities have over 400 activities planned for the summer – so it goes without saying that the children in our area have nothing to do.
“This is a vibrant community and we want to maintain that and work with our partners to educate, keep everyone safe, and have an enjoyable summer.”
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