It’s been confirmed. The Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) will be releasing drones into the sky for added surveillance coverage.
According to Bukit Aman’s Management Department director Comm Datuk Seri Zulkifli Abdullah, the usage of drone technology is to assist police personnel in their crime prevention initiatives throughout Klang Valley.
Zulkifli said the remote controlled surveillance drones would be an additional unit on top of the existing Motorcycle Patrol Unit (URB) and the Mobile Patrol Vehicle (MPV) that are used to help law enforcement monitor felony and situations such as illegal gatherings.
“Currently, we have the URB and MPV units in place. They’re effective but the drones will be our eyes in the sky. We can keep an eye over bigger areas and save costs at the same time. With drones, MPVs need not be on patrol all the time. They can monitor crime from one spot and move in when they see anything happening. It saves petrol, too,” he told The Star.
He further added that the implementation of drones would be used for surveillance during public rallies or other sticky situations that might endanger lives. For instance, the police can scout a dangerous location first before carrying out their crime prevention duties.
This could certainly help in reducing manpower and costs, but do you think that it’d be more effective? After all, the drones would still need to be remote controlled by people for the in-air surveillance to work. Let us know what you think in the comments box below.
Sources: The Star, Malay Mail Online.
