A vulnerable missing woman in her seventies was found and returned safely to her family – thanks to a police drone. The woman was reported missing from the Huthwaite area on 29 February and was deemed to be at high risk of harm.
With cold weather and darkness setting in, officers focussed their search near Brierley Forest Golf Club. A police drone operator, using a thermal imaging camera, began a search of the area and quickly identified a heat source near a wooded area.
Officers on the ground were then directed to the scene and found the woman safe and well.
“This was another excellent example of how effective our drones can be at finding missing people in time critical situations”, Sergeant Vince Saunders, Nottinghamshire Police’s chief drone pilot, said. “With darkness setting in along with cold and rain it was imperative that we found this lady as soon as possible.
“By getting a three dimensional view of a search area like this we are quickly able to rule out very large areas where a person isn’t before honing on specific locations of interest. Obviously that would take a very long time for officers to do on the ground so the time savings of using a drone are huge. “I am pleased we were able to support our colleagues on the ground so well and that this lady was returned to her family.”
