Video shows suspected deer poachers caught by heat-detecting drone camera

Technology allows officers to find suspects hiding in car at night

Police used a drone’s heat-detecting camera to catch a group of suspected deer poachers late on Friday night.

The arrest was made possible with thermal imaging technology, which allowed officers to spot suspects hiding in their car in a woodland near Beckingham, Nottinghamshire.

In footage of the arrest by Lincolnshire Police, an officer circles around a set of trees with a police dog before being joined by two colleagues.

The three officers then entered the woodland and arrested a group of four men who had been hiding under the cover of darkness.

Lincolnshire Police shared the footage on their Lincs Police Drones Twitter account and explained details of the operation.

“Poachers in Beckingham last night thought they could hide in their car in a wood! 24hr thermal police drone deployed, finds them in minutes,” the post said.

They explained the four men were put in custody and confirmed they had been arrested on suspicion of deer poaching.

Lincolnshire Police landed its first successful prosecution using evidence captured by drone technology earlier this year, when a cannabis farm was discovered.

Police believed the farm, which was hidden behind trees and bushes, could have produced more than £50,000 worth of the drug.

Lincolnshire Police and Crime Commissioner Marc Jones praised the impact of drone technology, saying: “The investment in this equipment has already proved its worth in its cost effectiveness and in its ability to help our front line officers keep our communities safe.

“We will continue to look for new ways in which the latest technology can aid us in our drive to be the most effective and efficient force possible.”

The drone was also used to track down a 16-year-old girl who called 999 saying she had been raped and was being held captive at an unknown location earlier this month.

Police recognised the description given and sent the drone to use a thermal imaging camera to locate the girl and her attacker.

After footage of the deer poaching arrest was released, colleagues and local residents praised the technology.

Kerrin Wilson, Assistant Chief Constable at Lincolnshire Police, tweeted that the arrests were a “fabulous outcome by our amazing drone team”.

Brian Harding wrote that the drones were a “brilliant piece of equipment”.

Lincolnshire Police invested in drone technology last year to tackle rural crime in hard-to-access areas, such as woodlands.

Agencies contributed to this report