Ex-defence secretary says South Yorkshire off-road police could be 'more effective' with drone squad
MP met with South Yorkshire Police off-road bikes team after anti-social behaviour concerns from residents.
The former defence secretary John Healey MP is lobbying the government to make South Yorkshire Police (SYP)’s off-road bike team an “innovating force” by utilising drones to catch criminals.
Mr Healey said he knows from his time as leading the Ministry of Defence the capabilities of drone technology and he is “making the case” for increased investment in police drones.
“I’ve spoken to the Home Secretary already as they are waking up to, just as we were in defence, to the opportunity of drones,” he said.
“I’d like the off-road bike team to become something of an innovating force across the country to demonstrate what can be done with drones and good basic policing.”
The Labour MP said he’d met SYP’s off-road bikes team after residents in Conisbrough, Doncaster, informed him that bike-related anti-social behaviour was a key concern.
He said: “We talked about how stretched they are working across the whole of South Yorkshire, not just in Doncaster.
“One thing that struck me is they’re really dedicated. It’s a more skilled job than many people think. It’s not chasing boy racers with no crash helmet. They are often a part of cracking and chasing organised crime gangs.”
But he said the squad can do the job “much, much more effectively when they have access to the South Yorkshire Police drone team”.
Mr Healey added: “One thing about being an MP that people don’t often appreciate is that we have no power. We don’t run an organisation or run a budget.
“The one thing you can do is bring people together and sometimes, if you use the power of the elected position you have, you can become a force for making things happen.”
He revealed the issue became a focus for him after launching a consultation in Conisbrough after the General Election, where changes to boundaries meant he represented parts of Doncaster that he hadn’t before.
“It’s hard for people in Conisbrough, Denaby, Edlington and Warmsworth. The last government changed the boundaries.
“They weren’t used to having me as an MP. I’m working hard to get to know these areas because I’m getting to know the people, the areas, the organisations because I’m now representing them.”