Drone trial launched in London to aid police emergency response

LONDON (Reuters) - London police have begun using drones to respond to emergency calls, saying the unmanned aircraft can reach crime scenes more quickly and stream footage to responding officers that helps them identify and locate suspects.

The trial, known as 'Drone as First Responder', has been launched in the north London neighbourhood of Islington. The Metropolitan Police plans to expand it to two additional sites in the capital by the end of the year.

Stored in boxes atop police buildings, the drones can be remotely deployed to incidents. Once overhead, live images are transmitted in real time to the control room or to officers en route via mobile devices.

The Met said the drones would support a range of frontline policing needs, including searches for missing people, tracing suspects, and gathering evidence from a scene.

Other police forces across the country are also testing the use of drones, the Met said.

Drones are being trialled for other purposes as well. Britain's aviation regulator selected six projects last year to test the use of unmanned aerial vehicles in deliveries and inspection of infrastructure.

(Reporting by Catarina Demony; Editing by William James)