Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh police are set to procure specially designed drones tailored for a variety of policing functions, with acquisitions expected to begin in the second quarter of the current financial year.The police are in consultations with the Central Government and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to design drones suited to specific tasks. Some will be tethered (static) drones capable of hovering for extended periods for monitoring purposes, while others will be equipped with long-range cameras for coastal surveillance. Additional drones will be deployed for VIP security, crowd management, crime detection, and surveillance duties, including for the railway police.Specialised drones are also being planned for elite units such as the Greyhounds, Octopus, Intelligence Wing, and the Andhra Pradesh Special Police (APSP).With the state comprising nearly 1,035 police stations, the government aims to deploy one drone per station. The procurement will be done through a public-private partnership, with the corporate sector encouraged to donate drones under corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. Drones will also be placed in railway and marine police stations with specific operational responsibilities.Vijayawada additional IGP (Law and Order) Siddarth Kaushal said, “We are holding consultations with the Government of India and the DRDO for a batch of specially designed drones. These are not conventional models but tailored for high-end tasks. Procurement may begin in a phased manner from the second quarter onwards.”The AP police have already begun using existing drones for crime detection, surveillance, and control. With the upcoming specialised drones, AP policing is set for a significant upgrade, enhancing capabilities to handle sensitive and complex issues more deftly.
Source link
