MOREE Police will for the next six months trial an Australian-first drone system aimed at helping accelerate response times to emergency situations, help police operations and prevent crime in Moree by using covert and overt aerial exercises.

The trial came into effect today.

NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Andrew Holland and Superintendent Chris Nicholson from NSW Police Aviation Command, briefed Moree Plains Shire mayor Susannah Pearse and Member for Northern Tablelands Brendan Moylan at a special meeting in Moree.

Also in attendance was New England Police District Superintendent Chris McKinnon, Inspectors Dwayne De Vries, Jade Symons and Dave Botha, Aboriginal Legal Service regional manager, Chris Duncan, and invited members of the Moree community.

Assistant Commissioner Holland firmly believes the drone trial in Moree is the next step in policing.

“This is a trial – an Australian-first – and looking ahead, I think this project will be a success,” Asst Comm Holland said.

“And if it’s a success here, it will be spread out to other locations across New South Wales.

“The word ‘trial’ is there for a reason. If there are concerns or issues that need to be raised from a local level, we will address them.

“We want to make sure the community is well aware of what is involved, what it entails, when it will be used and how it will be used,” he said.

“I truly believe this is the next step in policing,” Asst Comm Holland said.

NSW Police will conduct aerial coverage across Moree for a range of purposes, with drones operated remotely from Bankstown Airport.

“Predominantly, we’ll use the drones to assist our first response police to manage crime and reduce fear across the community,” Asst Comm Holland said.

“Again, the idea behind this system is that it gives us that eye in the sky and also reduces risk to our police.

“If something happens and we need to track someone, we’ll have that ability from the sky.

“Police can zoom in, see what the situation is, and assess which emergency management responses will be needed.

“We can also use a drone if there’s a report of a serious motor vehicle collision near town.

“Similarly, we can use drones for search and rescue,” he said.

Superintendent Nicholson said two drones will be housed on the roof of Moree Police Station, but operated remotely.

“The drones are in self-contained, weatherproof self-charging ports – effectively, a one-stop home,” Supt Nicholson said.

“They will not be flown from here in Moree; they will be flown by my team back at Bankstown Airport.

“This is the team that already sits on our helicopters and aeroplanes every day of the week. They’re known as tactical flight officers and will have additional duties, where they’ll sit in front of a computer and launch the drones to be flown in Moree.

“Also, for the first time, we’ll be able to stream footage live to police and crews on the ground who are responding to incidents,” he said.

“This will help them be first on the scene to a lot of matters in and around Moree township, which gives police additional situation awareness, and increases the safety of the public and our frontline responders.

“We will be flying proactively, so we won’t just be responding to incidents. We will be putting aerial patrols over Moree in a proactive sense, where we’ll look to prevent crime from happening.

“Or, if we believe something is about to happen, we’ll try and disrupt it to get cops on the ground quickly,” Supt Nicholson said.

“One of the key features of these drones is the ability to get everyone in response very quickly to a matter – fly straight there, get the cameras going so the police on the ground on their way to the incident know what they’re getting into.”

Superintendent Nicholson acknowledged privacy concerns were paramount.

“For the first time, we’ll see drones flying over people’s homes and towns, and that could be quite disconcerting because in reality, that doesn’t ordinarily happen,” Supt Nicholson said.

“Part of the reason we want to engage so strongly with the community centres around concerns with privacy.

“The important thing to reinforce here, is that people and the police who will be flying these drones from Bankstown are aviators,” he said.

“Their number-one priority, even though they are police officers, is aviation, with policing second.

“What I mean by that, is that we follow the rules very, very strictly. If we break those rules we run the risk of losing our ReOC – Remotely Piloted Aircraft Operator’s Certificate – with the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, and that is something we would never do.

“We are not in the business of spying in people’s backyards or looking at people over their fences.

“The drones will do exactly what we already do in our fixed wing aircraft when providing aerial surveillance over Moree,” he said.

“We put about 45 to 50 hours of flying per year with fixed-wing aircraft over Moree per already.

“My crew spends about 13 to 15 days of the year around the area, so it’s quite an expensive exercise bringing an aeroplane from Bankstown to here.

“By having these drones in Moree and working from Bankstown, we estimate we can be here for 300 to 500 hours of aerial coverage over the town without even trying,” Supt Nicholson said.

Moree Plains mayor Susannah Pearse wholeheartedly welcomed the new initiative.

“Moree is a terrific place. But we continue to have nine times the New South Wales’ rate of break-and-enters,” Cr Pearse said.

“Late last year we explained to NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon that we are not comfortable with that statistic.

“Turning that statistic around will take a range of solutions and we are grateful to the NSW Police for choosing our town to trial the new drones.

“Turning around this long-term trend will take a range of initiatives and this is just one. But it is one that we strongly welcome.

“We understand there may be some concerns about increased surveillance, however our crime rate and community safety remains a bigger concern.

“We hope the trial is a success, reduces our crime rates and improves our community’s sense of safety,” she said.

“We thank the NSW Police wholeheartedly for their continued care and concern for our community and our people.

“While there may be some concerns about this increased surveillance, we need to balance this with the very real impact violent crime has on its victims.

“If this trial stops even one violent break-and-enter or makes offenders think twice, then that’s a win,” Cr Pearse said.

Moree police inspector Dwayne De Vries said the introduction of drone technology in Moree is an extremely positive initiative.

“This will significantly enhance community safety and support our frontline police in responding to incidents quickly and effectively,” Insp De Vries said.

“This trial represents an important step forward in modern policing, and we are committed to working closely with the community throughout the process.

“There will be ongoing engagement to ensure transparency and address any concerns, and we look forward to officially launching this project in the coming weeks,” he said.

Member for Northern Tablelands Brendan Moylan also welcomed the drone trial.

“This trial is very welcome as it will greatly assist our police in their operations, improve public safety and reduce fear in the community,” Mr Moylan said.

“It is the first of its kind in Australia, and I’m grateful to the NSW police for running the operation in Moree.”

Members of the public wishing to provide feedback about the trial can email Mr Moylan at [email protected].