Police drones 'invaluable tool' for major event security

• Drones described as an invaluable tool for event monitoring and security;

• Devon and Cornwall Police deployed the DJI Zenmuse H30T payload and DJI M350 RTK drone during Boardmasters Festival;

• The festival attracted a crowd of close to 60,000 people and the drone provided comprehensive aerial views of the large event site;

• Live footage from the drone streamed back to organisers to enhance situational awareness and drive data-driven decision-making;

• DJI H30T is a flagship five-sensor payload, with wide and zoom cameras, thermal sensor, laser rangefinder, and night-vision capabilities. All of these features were used during the event.

Organisers of one of the UK’s largest music festivals have described drones as an invaluable tool for event monitoring.

It comes after Devon and Cornwall Police deployed the DJI M350 RTK aircraft and DJI Zenmuse H30T payload at Boardmasters.

The showcase, staged in Newquay over five days, attracted an increased capacity crowd of close to 60,000 people.

The H30T was used to support ground units, providing a comprehensive aerial view of crowds, traffic movements, and individual incidents.

Live footage was streamed to organisers to enhance situational awareness and help coordinate data-driven decision-making in real-time.

Boardmasters Festival Producer, Sam Watkins, admitted the drone’s aerial capability provided a strategic advantage.

“Having the police support us with the drone was an invaluable tool,” he said.

“Our crime safety managers, health and safety team, and control room commanders used the drone footage to help deploy resources, move around stewarding and security, and to see any problems evolve ahead of time.”

DJI Zenmuse H30T: Key features

The H30T is a hybrid multi-sensor payload, with 48MP wide-angle camera, a zoom camera with up to 400x digital zoom, and a thermal sensor with 1280 x 1024 resolution. It is also equipped with night-vision capabilities and a laser rangefinder which extends to 3,000m.

Key upgrades on the previous generation H20T include enhanced zoom, increased thermal resolution, and expanded range on the laser rangefinder.

All of the H30T’s core camera modules were utiliised by Devon and Cornwall Police during the event.

The H30T’s wide camera provided an overview of crowd and traffic movements, while the zoom camera enabled more detailed, up-close observations - all while the drone maintained its position from afar.

And with the festival running into the evening, the H30T’s thermal and night-vision capabilities were integral, providing operational continuity in low-light conditions.

PC Chris Linzey, from the Force’s drone unit, said: “The Boardmasters Festival is the single largest deployment for our team and our primary role is to assist ground units with air support capability.

“It is a large festival site and, by using the drone, we can see a large area of the festival footprint from a single location and then use that imagery to direct units.”

The IP54-rated H30T integrates with the DJI M350 RTK drone, which has an IP55 rating and 12m/s wind-speed resistance. This enhanced operational envelope is especially important for coastal police teams, such as Devon and Cornwall Police.

The M350 can also carry multiple payloads in one flight - such as combining the H30T with a spotlight, which proved beneficial for Chris and his team.

Devon and Cornwall Police has a thriving drone unit, supported by its drone partner heliguy™. Looking to the future, Chris believes continued innovation in the sector will further enhance operations.

He said: “Looking ahead, the drone in a box and the drone as first responder concept has a massive role to play in emergency service operations and will be a fantastic tool to help keep our public safe.”

heliguy™ is proud to support UK police forces and we'd like to thank them for being such advocates of the drone sector.