MEMBER for Northern Tablelands Brendan Moylan is encouraging the community to provide feedback on the drone system which has been assisting with managing crime throughout the opening half of 2026.

The Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems trial in Moree is an Australian-first.

It was rolled out to tackle crime, speed up response times in emergency situations, assist search and rescue operations, motor vehicle collisions and reduce risks to police by allowing them to make safer and more informed decisions.

Mr Moylan said the trial has been positive for the Moree community and said providing feedback will assist in future training and development of drone programs.

“The use of drones when it comes to crimes and emergency situations in Moree has already been effective in the short time it has been in use,” he said.

“The drones are solely used for crime and are operated remotely by POL AIR from Bankstown airport.

“Once deployed, they can get across town very quickly and, since the trial began, stolen vehicles have been recovered, violent offenders tracked and arrested, and they have assisted in break-and-enters, and fires.

“The community can now provide feedback to improve the operations of and policies on drone operations to help shape how they will be used in the future.”

The RPAS drones being installed on the Moree Police Station rooftop.

The survey on the drone trial in Moree can be accessed HERE and is open until 11.59pm Friday, 12 June 2026.

Police have been using the drones since January.

The system, PolAir-Remote, was officially launched in February by NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon and NSW Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism Yasmin Catley.

At the official launch earlier this year, Commissioner Lanyon said the trial was not about watching people for no reason.

“This is not about surveillance or looking at individuals,” he said.

“We want to keep all regional communities safe and by running this trial, we can determine whether to scale up the program.”

Since January, PolAir-Remote has been used in a number of local incidents.

Police say the drones have helped track offenders fleeing on foot, locate stolen vehicles, support officers during major operations, and spot fires so fire crews could be notified and respond.

At the February launch, Moree Plains Shire Mayor Susannah Pearse backed the push to improve community safety.

“At the end of the day, what our community members want, and what everyone wants in all communities, is to feel safe in their homes and that there is no threat to them,” Cr Pearse said.

NSW Police says community feedback will help guide future training, policy and decisions about how the drone program develops.

Survey results, police say, will be considered alongside community expectations, operational needs and Civil Aviation Safety Authority rules.

The survey can be taken HERE.