Overview
- The Drone as First Responder programme has gone live in Islington with remote launches from the Met's control room.
- Units sit charging in weather‑proof rooftop boxes, fly autonomously to scenes, then hand over to a trained remote pilot.
- Live high‑definition feeds reach control rooms or mobile users in real time and recordings can be used as evidence.
- The Met aims to add West End and Hyde Park sites before year‑end as part of the NPCC’s wider multi‑force trials.
- Media reports say the drones are likely Chinese‑made DJI models and that non‑evidential footage is deleted within 28 days, prompting privacy and security questions the Met says are addressed by controls.